My Summer Prince
by regalvillein
Summary: AU. What begins as an ordinary summer for Nanoha quickly spirals into something more. mainly nanofate. maybe other pairings as well.
1. Day 1 Monday

auniverse story. haha...ha. i tried... honest, i did.

**disclaimer: the nanoha series isn't mine. i just wrote this thing using the characters**

sorry, the characters are going to seem ooc partly due to the fact that it's an au and (more so) partly due to the fact that I suck at writing. so be warned in advance. without further annoyances, enjoy.

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You know how sometimes in class, teachers ask you to use one word to sum up yourself. Describe yourself, entirely. Well, I've got one for me: normal. Normal parents. Normal friends. Normal school. Normal lifestyle. Normal, normal, normal. Everything is so normal. I suppose any synonym of normal would work as well: average. Average looks. Average grades. I mean, it's not that my life is dissatisfying or anything, but sometimes I want...

**More than just ordinary.**

Summer has started. Everyday, that thought is pounded through my head a million times. If I'm not reminded of it by the empty dorms when I wake up every morning, then I am by my blurred vision from the heat waves in the afternoon, the squealing girls at work talking about their 'summer princes', and all the kids that seem to wander in the streets at odd hours of the morning. It's a cycle that happens every year. Summer starts and so does my summer job. Everything is just so very...normal. Boring.

...

..

.

_Oh, shit. _

_Job._

My eyes snap open, and I realize, "I don't have a summer job yet." Sitting up in my bed, I look around my bed, searching for my phone. I spot a bit of pink on the floor and try grabbing it. "Ah, how did it get there...nghh, it's too far." I sigh and will myself to get out of bed, picking up my cell phone. "Mou... wonder why it didn't go off today." I rub my head in annoyance, " Guess I should go look at what jobs are available."

Oh right, introductions...introductions. I need to rehearse for the interviews...if there are any. Hopefully not, but just to be safe. "Nice to meet you, I'm Takamachi Nanoha. Or should I say... it's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance." I chew idly on a piece of toast. " I'm 19, and I'd like to apply for a position at your...umm... cafe? I guess...or a bar, I've worked at those before. Why I want a summer job? Nyahah..ha. Don't tell anyone, but it's actually this scheme I created so I could stay away from my family on breaks and holidays. Yeah... I probably shouldn't say that."

It's not that I don't love my family or anything. Mother and father still act like newlyweds which would be extremely cute if I weren't their daughter. I feel a bit awkward watching my parents be all affectionate and such. You'd think I'd get used to it, seeing it all through my life, for the most part. My older brother and sister are both really nice to me, but at the same time they interact really well with each other. So, I kind of feel like I'm in the way. An extra. I was born into a really loving household, I know that, but I feel as though... if I weren't there, nothing would change. Maybe I'm being the spoiled youngest child, but those are my thoughts. Anyway...so this summer job is my way of avoiding my family and hopefully occupy myself enough that I don't think about this. And who knows. I might find my own 'summer prince'.

Readying myself for the day, I grab a pair of blue jeans, a white spaghetti-strapped tank top, and a tan colored jacket just in case the weather drops later. I turn to face a mirror and am met by tired light lavender eyes. My light brown hair, which is slightly tangled, frames my face in a very ordinary way. _Normal_. _Everything is just so very normal_.

XXXXXXXX

After about an hour or two of walking into various cafes, bookstores, and small eateries, asking about employment, I decide to rest and calm my nerves. Luckily, I find a conveniently placed vending machine with soft drinks. I sigh as I press the button for coke. "Why can't anyone **hire** someone. Why does the staff have to be full everywhere?!" When I hear a clunk, I reach down and retrieve the drink from the compartment and open the can. I take a generous gulp of the soda, the iced beverage cooling and soothing my parched throat in the summer heat. My eyes flutter shut, a content sigh escapes my lips. _That was nice_.

I finish my soda. My eyes slowly open, and I feel as if I've been hit in the face by reality as the surrounding invades my senses. The summer heat and the sound of cicadas swim towards me, engulfing me in an overbearing hug. "Dammit. I still need to find a job." My irritated voice is laced with desperation. I look reluctantly at the entertainment district.

Each time a clothes store or cafe of sorts would decline my offer of services, I would unwillingly edge a bit closer to the district's borders. Working in the entertainment district is fine, but most of the available jobs are near its borders, close to the not-so-safe territory of the red-light district. I heave a deep sigh, hoping to get a job soon.

Stretching and relaxing, I sit outside on one of the benches. I look at the sky, noting that it's pretty late in the afternoon. Probably around four-ish. I got a job at a bar. Though now that I think about it...it seems more like a hostess club. Good news is that I'm not too close to the red-light district, but closer than comfortable. I also didn't have to go through much of an interview. The down side...is well... if it's a hostess club. Drinking with clients, entertaining clients,...flirting with clients? I sigh deeply. _What have I gotten myself into? _I stand up and walk into the club with the sign Red Rose.

XXXXXXXX

I look in the full body mirror at my outfit. I'm required to wear a pair of black pants and a red vest with rose-like patterns with an extremely low V cut in the front, showing off a good portion of my chest. I fiddle with the vest uncomfortably.

"You're new at this." I hear a familiar voice laced with amusement. I turn around to bright blue eyes and short brown hair.

"H-Hayate-chan. What are you doing here?" Shock clearly evident on my face.

"Hahaha. Nanoha-chan. Hahah-your face. Your face. Is. Priceless." Hayate says in between gasps, one hand on her stomach while the other is grasping my shoulder for support, as if her life depends on it.

Hayate-chan is a friend and classmate of mine at college. She's a pretty unique person. Her grades are above average, and she has some pretty... interesting hobbies. I've heard that she helps her relatives with cases every once in a while. Oh right, she doesn't live with her parents, she lives with four of her relatives, thought I don't know if they're cousins or aunts or uncles. She always refers to them by name or just as 'relatives'. I haven't met them yet, but I know they all work with the police in investigations. They solve crime cases, I think.

"Ha. Ha." Her laughing has subsided and she lifts her face to look at me. Her eyes are sparkling unnaturally, so I know she's trying to hold back her laughter. I frown. She smiles, widely. "Oh, I was asked to make designs for the outfit at this hostess club. This place is quite new, you know." _That explains the short interview_. "So, how do you like the outfit?" She steps back a couple feet and her eyes trail up and down my body. I feel my face heating up. She waits happily for me to reply.

"U-umm. Hayate-chan. What's with the front? There's only a vest. Isn't that a bit, well, lacking?"

"Hmm? Oh, too bad they rejected my idea for a maid outfit. You'd look good in it." _Ignore that comment_. "Well, they requested simple but stylish. I hope it was to their liking. I just figured, a top and bottom would seem pretty simple." After a pause, Hayate grins, "What do you think?"

"Eh? I-I think it looks nice, very st-stylish. Umm, well, the vest...is well, really low cut." I voice out nervously, hoping I didn't offend her. Instead, I see her grin widen, and I dread what she's about to say.

"Nanoha-chan. It's service, s-e-r-v-i-c-e." Hayate says in a sing-song voice. She places her hands on my shoulder and pushes me toward the boss's office. "Now come, you need to get your business cellphone." The boss didn't seem to be in, but Hayate quickly rummages through the desks for a cellphone, activates it, and hands it to me.

"Are you sure it's fine to just go and open all the drawers?" I say in amazement, watching as Hayate doesn't even bother to place things back. Hayate just smiles in amusement.

"Oh, I don't think I'd get in too much trouble." She says with a twinkle in her eye, her lips stretched into a wide smile. I feel as if I'm missing some sort of inside joke.

She quickly runs me through the do's and dont's of using the cellphone. Only use it for business to call clients. "Well, since you're new, you can hang out with Zafira at the door and call people in."

And with that, my job as a hostess officially began.

XXXXXXXX

"This shouldn't be too bad." I mumble to myself. "An eight hour shift. I can handle it. So that means I get off at one? At least today I just have to bring people in."

In between the 'welcome's, the 'please come to The Rose's, the 'thank you for your patronage's, and other polite flowery language, I was able to make conversation with Zafira.

"How long's your shift?" He questions quite abruptly.

"Eight hours. I get off at one."

"Ah. Welcome to The Rose. I hope you enjoy your stay." We both bow and use our hands to motion to the entrance. _Sounds like I work at a hotel_.

"One is pretty late. It's pretty dangerous around midnight. You've heard about the recent... happenings, I hope? It's not really safe for girls to be out so late." There is a hint of concern in his tone.

"Yeah, I've heard some pretty gruesome stuff. Is-" I almost ask, but I notice a potential client and quickly focus on grabbing another client. "Would you be interested in spending a relaxing evening at The Rose?" I bow low, catching the business man's attention. He saunters into the club room, eying me, or my chest to be exact. I gulp, hoping it went unnoticed. _Crap, I hope I'm not requested_.

"You're getting better." Zaphira states with approval. "You do know you have to drink with the clients, right?" He's half laughing now.

"Ugh, don't remind me." A frown appears slightly on my features and then changes into a smile.

"Thank you for your patronage, sir." We both say, again, in unison. Another bow.

I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn around to see Hayate-chan with that dreadfully delighted smile again. "You've been requested! You're amazing." _Stop smiling like that_._ It always bad news_. "The first day and you have what could be one of your regulars." She giggles.

"Hayate-chan, that's not funny." I frown, and she laughs even more. _Apparently she finds my suffering entertaining_.

XXXXXXXX

I look around. How long have I been in here? This club that I work in seems to give private rooms to VIP guests and little private corners for regulars and other patrons. "Ah, would you like some more beer, sir?" I flash a pretty smile and pour the liquid into his glass before he can respond. It seems I get bonuses on how long I can keep him to stay. Going on two hours, I think.

"You haf'ta driiink too!" He slurs while shoving the glass I just poured him at me. _Dammit_. Keeping him occupied drinking by himself doesn't seem to quite be working anymore. I smile sweetly. I've already had two glasses. I'm trying extremely hard not to get drunk, and I don't exactly know my limit, which doesn't help much either. I take the glass and take a huge gulp of the alcohol and hand it back to him. He, or rather... I don't remember his name. Anyway, he seems pleased and finishes off the drink and asks for a refill. _God, this is going to be a long night_.

"Sho, shweetie." He wraps his arm around my neck. _Shit_. "Wuts yer nam?" He practically bellows in my left ear. I shudder. Dear god, I think I'm going to go deaf. _Shit, my stage name_. _Uhh, think quick! _

_Shit_. _Shit_. _Shit_."Shi-, err I mean Sh-Shiroi" _Okay, safe_. _That was close_. I sigh quietly in relief.

"Shhhirroiii?" He slurs, trying to process the word.

"Hai!" I respond cutely, forcing a smile, hoping he doesn't ask me about the... name. Apparently my response works, and he's focused on me again. _Oh, no_. His arm tightens around my neck, and his face draws ever so slowly toward mine. Closer. Closer. My eyes widen slightly, and my breath catches in my mouth. _Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap_. I can feel the intoxication permeating from his very being, dreading the proximity of our bodies.

I take a small breath and close my eyes to calm myself. _Okay think_. _What's a polite way to shove him far far away from me? _I feel his presence close: almost an inch now. And...

BAM.

I feel pain. Immense pain. From my forehead. Then I feel a huge weight collapse on my lap. My eyes open quickly. "What the fu-" I look down at my client who seems to have passed out. I smile sweetly at him. _I hate my job_.

XXXXXXXX

Five cups of beer later it's one o'clock. After my first client fainted, I laid him on a couch and relaxed for about half an hour. Then as luck was totally on my side, I was bombarded with more clients. Thankfully slightly more civil, but they didn't stay quite as long as my first. I had two more clients whom each stayed an hour, about. I wanted to quit, but after four fucking hours of that first client, I've decided that I'm not leaving until I'm payed. Hayate-chan was nowhere to be seen, so I'd have to ask her to point me to the boss tomorrow or something.

After changing into my clothes, I stay in the locker room for a bit to let the alcohol hopefully diminish in influence. After about seven cups, or was it bottles, of beer, I know I'm drunk, but I'm convinced I can still walk home. I just need to rest a bit. My eyes flutter closed.

My eyes open to about ten other hostesses chattering and walking into the locker room. Banging open their locker doors, and changing. I reach for my cellphone and look drowsily at the digital numbers.

1:49 AM

I should be getting home. I can imagine my nice, soft, comforting bed just a walk away. I stand slowly, bid the other hostesses farewell and take my leave. I can walk without staggering... much. Which is an improvement to just staggering. Outside, the cool night breeze blows past me, chilling me quite thoroughly, and I'm glad because it wakes me from my drowsy state. I amble slowly toward my bus stop. If memory serves me right, this bus stops a block away from the dorms. I check the times and find that the bus will arrive in about half an hour. I sigh happily. Just a little bit longer until I can sleep on my bed.

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The streets are pretty devoid of life. I thought people tended to stay out late or maybe it's just this part of the city. A dimly lit street. The light flickering every couple seconds or so. Dead silence. The picturesque setting for a horror film. To add to this freakishly quiet setting, I see this hooded figure walking in my direction. Paranoia tells me to get away quickly. I walk, as casually as possible, around the corner of the block and quicken my pace a little. I turn to look behind me. "There, see. You're just being paranoid." I wait a couple seconds and sigh in relief. "As if someone would actually follo-" The same person comes around the corner, and I see a faint flicker of light near one of his hands. I quickly turn and start running. _Was that metal? A blade? You have got to be kidding me_. "Okay, okay. Calm down a bit. If I can avoid this guy for a couple more minutes, I could board my bus and get home." I mumble to myself while running as quickly as I can in my drunken state.

After a couple minutes of hiding and running, my breath coming out in gasps and wheezes, I notice my bus turning the corner which meant that it would be at the stop soon. I had two choices of action: chase the bus to the bus stop or meet the bus at the stop. The first requires me to run on two sides of the block, while the latter choice requires me to run through an alley that seems pretty clear. I take the second choice and dash through the alley as quickly as my legs can take me. My life depends on how quickly I can move, literally.

Nearing the end of the alley, I can hear the bus approaching. _I can make it in time_. I glance back and see the the familiar hooded person running toward me, knife in hand.

Thud. I crash into something. My shoulders are grabbed and I'm pushed violently into the wall. I yelp. My shoulder throbs painfully from the impact and my legs that were previously bursting with energy ache tiredly as I collapse to the floor. I look up weakly at what seems to be a person, not the hooded person. Behind him, in the distance, I see a bus pass by. _Fuck_. _Two_. _Two of them_.

"Thought you said everything was under control." The deep throaty voice of the new figure mocks.

"Shut up. I didn't think she'd take the alley." An irritated younger voice replies. The hooded figure arrives, stopping in front of me. "Quite a catch, don'cha think?" His eyes gleam with lust.

It's funny. Out of two choices, the one that seemed more possible turned out to be the worse scenario. Probably anyway. Well, it seemed like a good idea at the moment. Why me? What happened to normal. Boring. Safe. Things that happen in the news aren't supposed to happen to me. I groan inwardly. What a life.

The hooded guy crouches next to me, he lifts his dagger to my face. I'm tempted to kick him, but restrain myself, watching carefully as the other seems to look at me in amusement. The metal flickers dangerously close to my eyes. He traces slowly across my left cheek and up towards my eye. The blade hovers for a couple seconds before going down to my lips, opening my mouth. The taste of iron fills my senses. He places some sort of substance into my mouth. _Fuck_.

"Swallow." He commands, while bringing the knife slowly to my throat. Glaring, I swallow, slowly. "Good girl." He smiles and pats my head. _Like a dog_. He reaches for some rope and ties my hands together to some sort of old lamppost in the alley. The last thing I see before blanking out is him standing and smirking at me.

When I come to, I don't know how much time has passed. Maybe half an hour or more. The two people are still there. I look up slowly, clouded eyes not really registering what is happening to me. Before I can process much, the hooded figure has his knife to my throat again.

"Oh. Awake are we? Ready to have some fun?" His lewd tone hovering around my mind. Somehow, things seem to be slowed down, or something. My mind is a jumble of incoherent thoughts. His knife trails down my neck and down to my jacket, popping the buttons as it goes lower. He reaches my stomach and cold metal touches my skin. I gasp reflexively. He grins. I try screaming, but only muffles come out of my mouth. _They gagged me_. _I can't. Do. Anything. _Exhaustion slowly catches up to me as I start to fade from consciousness. I remember laughing. Disgusting laughter. And I feel as if I want to die. Quickly. Painlessly. Before I have to go through this.

XXXXXXXX

"Hey." A new voice. Amused and sinister. I open my tired eyes. A third figure is walking towards me. _There were three of them?_ "Save some fun for me." That dangerously chilling voice again, and it sends a shiver down my spine.

I don't really understand what's happening, but the two people that were crowded around me back up, readying their knives. There's movement, quick and skilled, and then blood. Lots and lots of blood pooling under two figures. The hooded one falls next to me, a huge gash across his neck. His eyes wide in horror. I scream. As loudly as I can. Dead. He's dead. Killed.

"If you don't stop screaming, I'm going to leave you here." A dangerous chuckle. _Calm down_. _Calm down_. My screams dissipate, replaced by small gasps of breathe, irregular and desperate. "Better." The person kneels in front of me. Cloudy lavender orbs meet deep crimson ones. My breath catches in my throat as a smooth porcelain hand brushes across my cheek. _A-A girl? Now that I think about it, her __voice wasn't quite as low_..._ as the others_. Her hand retracts, and I notice her fingertips are wet. _Am I crying? _Suddenly, her hand grips the tape on my face and rips it off, roughly. An immense burning sensation invades my senses.

"GAHHH!" A sharp intake of air. "O-Oww!" I yell out hoarsely. A chuckle, again. I look up at her face, illuminated by the moon. Long golden tresses fall gently around her beautifully white skin and captivating wine colored eyes.

"Guess I came to the party a bit early seeing as the prize seems... untouched." I look at her eyes, and follow their gaze down to my pants. Unzipped and down to my knees. My face heats up as I go to fix my pants, but my arms, I forgot, are still tied to a post. Another chuckle. I frown slightly. _This isn't funny_. Her hands trail up my calf and gently pull my jeans up to my hips and zip them securely. My heartbeat quickens, and I try to stutter what I hope is a coherent 'thanks'. She either doesn't hear me or blatantly ignores me, I can't really tell anymore as exhaustion overtakes me.

She stands and unties my hands, and I notice that my wrists are raw from the rough texture of the rope. I wince slightly. I attempt to stand up, but I never get the chance as I feel smooth fingers grab me roughly by the collar of my jacket and pin me to the wall. I cough painfully as the air is forced out of my lungs. Despite my situation, I somehow feel safe with her presence around me.

"Are you going to kill me as well?" I bite back, glowering at her. She stares at me for a couple seconds before her grip on me tightens as a cruel smile emerges on her face. _Fuck_. _What did I do that for?_

"Oh hoh. Is that how you show respect to your knight in shining armor?" That smile stays plastered on her face, but her crimson eyes stay chillingly unreadable.

"Killers don't deserve respect." I counter hotly.

"I'd much rather prefer a less...ah, vulgar, title." She leans towards me, and as I feel her breath on my left ear making me shudder involuntarily. "Like, freelancer." _What?_ _Is she..._ _I don't_. My mind is swimming with confusion, but the safeness I feel around her has not faded and eats away at my conscious state.

I sigh tiredly. My thoughts a jumble of relief, anxiety, pain, comfort, worry, and contentedness, my eyes close as I welcome...

Blackness.

Sleep.

Escape.

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**A/N:**so that's the most I've ever written for anything. no joke. I've tried going over it as many times as i can to fix mistakes. you might notice my random changes in tense or... my obsession with commas. tell me what you think. reviews are happily embraced. i'll go work on the next chapter.


	2. Day 2 Tuesday

Darkness.

Everywhere I look: darkness. Endless and suffocating. Wanting to escape, I take a step eagerly. Somehow the darkness below me shatters. I scream, yet I do not scream. Anguish, shock, surprise, are forcing their way out of my throat, I know, but I can't hear it. I can't hear myself. At all.

The next thing I know, I see ground. Solid. Tangible. Broken-up cement, worn out and unattended, is scattered all around. I finally register that I'm in some sort of old dreary alley, and instantly I feel fatigue consume me, as if someone is suddenly forced exhaustion throughout my entire body.

I can barely keep myself standing. The pain consumes me. I can't think straight. I know my breath is coming out in quick puffs, but not a sound escapes my mouth. Again, I can't hear anything. Myself. Some force smashes me into a wall, and I slide down weakly, tiredly. My mind anxiously tells me to fight back because I know what's to come if I don't, but my body drags me down. Down. Down. My body, exhausted and lifeless, does not process a single command I scream inside of me. But it can't hear my screams. **I** can't hear myself screaming.

And then I'm greeted by black. Pitch black nothingness.

My eyes refuse to open, but I can feel shuffling. Something else, not me. My body, **I**, has abandoned myself. Fingers, I think, rough and coarse, trace up my legs and then pull the fabric from my hips, down. Lower... and lower. And...

_I want to die. _

No, that's not quite right. What I really want is...

_I-_

**I want someone to save me.**

I feel warmth, sunlight, gently coaxing me to open my eyes. The last remants of the dream fade from me. I let out a groan and stretch the tiredness out of my body. "Mnn, what a weird drea-gahh!"I inhale sharply. My left hand lands softly on my right shoulder. "What? When did I injure my shoulder?" I mumble to myself. I massage my shoulder slowly, trying to lessen the pain slightly. _Wait. I can feel my skin. _I glance slowly at my shoulder. "Eh? I'm wearing a tank top..." _I don't usually sleep in..a tan—jeans. _I look curiously at the lower half of my body, partially covered by my blanket. Confusion slowly creeps into my mind. _No... wait. This isn't my blanket. _I quickly scan around the room a bit frantically. _Nor is this my bed... or dorm room or... _"Where... am I?"

The aromatic scent of coffee wafts through the room. I smile slightly at the nostalgic aroma and look for the source, but I can't seem to find it. I notice an open window, and assume that there is a cafe near where ever I am. I don't remember how I got here, but there is a slight feeling of comfort and security, which calms my nerves a little. The room as a whole is pretty simple, just the basic bed, table, chair and bathroom. The walls are pretty barren of decoration as well. Only a mirror hangs in front of the table on the other side of the room. I see myself in the mirror; my hair is a disheveled mess, and I seem to have a couple of scratches on my shoulder. Other than that, nothing too serious.

"Oh hoh, so you're awake." says a voice laced with mock surprise. A female with beautiful long blond hair closes the door as she enters the room. She's wearing a simple black blouse with a collar and sleeves, the first two buttons are left open, giving an air of casualness, and a pair of dark blue jeans, accentuating the curves of her legs. She pulls up a chair next to the bed, sits down, and hands me a bottle of water. I stare at the bottle questioningly and then shift my gaze to her face. Stunning crimson eyes look straight back at me, and I can't seem to take my eyes off of hers. They seem so endless and captivating, like gemstones glistening in the morning sunlight.

Her eyes narrow slightly in irritation, and she pushes the bottle against my face. The chilled container jolts me out of my daydreaming. I yelp slightly as I shrink away from the bottle. I frown slightly, taking the offered bottle.

"Do you have a headache?" She asks abruptly.

"No..." I voice cautiously. I move my hand to unscrew the bottle but notice that the cap is not there. I inspect the bottle carefully.

"Okay, so if she wasn't as drunk as I thought she was...then-" The blond's mumblings stop as she observes my studying of the bottle. "I ope—there's nothing suspicious about it." Her voice changes abruptly from calmly explaining to extremely irritated. The blond glowers at me.

_Did I insult her? Just because I thought it was strange the bottle was open? _I take a gulp of the refreshing liquid and glance at the girl from the corner of my eye. She seems to visibly calm down as I drink. _I guess so._ I smile inwardly.

After quenching my thirst, I notice my hands feel unusually sore, and I place the bottle on my lap to look at them. I notice my wrists are extremely irritated, as if something coarse was rubbed against them. Some parts seem to have drawn blood, but most of it just seems raw.

"W-what happened to my wrists?" I place my index finger on my left wrist and instantly jerk my finger away when I feel a sting of pain.

"So... I take it you don't remember last night?" She bluntly asks, but... did I sense a hint of disappointment?

_Wait._

_W-What?_

_What happened last... night. Wait, wait, wait. I don't even know her. It's not as if we could've __**done**__ anything, right? But she did say... that I was drunk? It would explain why I'm in this room, but—and she seemed a bit irritated that I might have suspicions about her. And my wrists...__**Wait**__. Now that I think about it... my shoulder is sore too and so are my...legs? How __**rough**__ was she?!_

I point accusingly at her, my face heating up embarrassedly. "You... YOU **PERVERT!**" I accuse her angrily. She seems a bit taken aback by the comment; her eyes widen a bit, and then... then her lips stretch into a polite smile. "W-what are you smiling about?" My anger rises and so does my voice.

"Come on, work with me here. I'm trying to be a professional here. Stop provoking me." She mumbles slightly irritatedly to herself. However, in my bout of anger, I don't pick up her complaint. Instead, I continue with my rant.

"You pervert, _molester_, **scum**, ra-"

"Well." She interrupts me. Anger is purely evident in her eyes. "You weren't complaining yesterday. In fact, I believe you said thank you." Her smile shifts into a smirk, and she reaches over and pats the front of my jeans as an emphasis to convey her message. My mind reels with confusion.

"W-what?!" is the only counter I can think of. My thoughts are a jumble, my face heating up more. _Why would I say thank you? W-w-I-..I'm really confused. _I let out an exasperated groan. _What is going on?_

She doesn't reply, and we both stare daggers at each other: our killing intent swirling into an intense storm. After a couple minutes, which feels like hours, of silence, she seems to have relaxed herself. The blond starts to chuckle to herself quietly, and my anger boils.

"What is so funny about this?!" I retort. She smiles at me, sweetly. It's one of those 'I win' smiles. I narrow my eyes. Her attitude is starting to get on my nerves.

"If you don't remember anything, don't conjure up random accusations that have no base whatsoever. If you don't remember, it's okay to tell me that." It's as if she's reading a script. She seems to force the the whole statement, especially the last part, in the most impartial voice she can.

"W-wait. Then what were _you_ talking about? Why did I thank you?" I stutter out, my anger receding quickly. She smirks again as if that is answer enough to my question. I gulp nervously. "Okay then, umm, c-can you just answer one question for me?"

"Go ahead." Her voice remains neutral.

"D-did anything _happen_ last night?" I can feel my face burning up, my imagination running wild.

"No." I visibly relax, a sigh almost escaping my lips. "...is what I would like to say." She says evenly. My heartbeat quickens, and I try to calm myself down by taking deep breaths. The blond just looks at me blankly, but I can tell she finds this whole situation... no, me, amusing. _I don't see how any of this is funny..._

"W-what happened?" I say, barely above a whisper, dreading what's to come.

"I don't really know." _What?!_ "I can speculate, of course, but that's not really my area of expertise. All I can tell you are facts, which are that I found you in an alley with two guys, and I brought you here after you lost consciousness while talking to me." _Two guys? I don't remember._

"Oh." I reply dumbly. She gazes at me; her eyes tell me that she wants to ask me a question, but they suddenly flicker back to an unreadable depth.

"You should probably take a shower and refresh yourself. I'll escort you home afterwards."

_Escort?_

_o o o o o o_

And so, the blond escorts me home. We haven't had much of a conversation. All that's happened so far is that she asked where I lived so she could figure out which buses to take, and she also insisted on paying the transportation fare for the both of us, saying something about it being her responsibility. _I don't quite understand. Responsibility? Does she think this is a job?_ I decide not to think too much of it. I can feel the beginnings of a headache-to-come if I over think things. The bus rides were pretty peaceful and quiet, and after about two transfers, we arrive at the dorms.

We walk up to the second floor with me leading. The blond trails slightly behind, her eyes scanning the building's surroundings. When I arrive outside a door with a plaque that reads "Residents: Yagami Hayate, Takamachi Nanoha" I take out my key and open the door. The blond glances at the door that I was opening and waits until I open it. I turn around, about to thank her for escorting me, but she speaks up first.

"I have a request." She pauses and looks at me intently. I nod my head, slightly confused, and she continues in her neutral voice. "If you should file any sort of report...later. I would appreciate it if you didn't mention that I brought you to a... hotel." She bows a little, but I catch a glimpse of her reddening cheeks. Her voice comes back as neutral as she can, but is much quieter than before, "...because it's not quite protocol." She straightens herself and looks at me, waiting for my reply. No remnant of a blush is on her face. _She's embarrassed. I guess she doesn't like asking for favors._ I don't know how I can tell, but then a thought hits me. _Protocol? No, no, no. I said I wouldn't think about it. It's not as if I'd meet her again anyway. _I smile and nod.

"Sure. Thank you for escorting me." I reply warmly. She smiles. Not at all like the previous ones, I note, because this one is utterly breathtaking. Now that I look at her, she has a really good figure, one that seems really active_ and she has really nice curves_ smooth porcelain skin, _oh and really soft gentle fingers_, and her eyes. Her dark ruby eyes are so captivating that--

She mumbles something to herself quietly, which catches my attention. "Yagami..._that_ one?" She's looking at me with a thoughtful expression. No wait. Not me. Behind me. At the door?

"What?"

"Oh. Umm." She seems to be caught a bit my surprise. "I umm—well, I will take my leave then, Takamachi-san." She bows again and walks away quickly. I watch as she walks away. I shake my head as I shuffle myself into the dorm room and close the door. I breathe out a sigh of contentedness to the familiarity and comfort that surrounds me.

"Well whatever." I scratch my head idly. I frown slightly, thinking back. "She didn't even tell me her name."

_o o o o o o_

Time passes really quickly when your trying painstakingly hard to not think about something that you're thinking about and doing all kinds of things to try to get your mind off of that **one** thought.

Confused? Don't worry, I am too.

For reasons unknown to me, I can't seem to stop thinking about that girl. The escort. _What is her name? Did she mention it at all, or did I just not hear her say it?_ My memory is slightly fuzzy about the encounter. And so, attempting to busy myself to stop thinking about _her_, I ended up treating all my scratches and cuts, tidying my dorm room, washing the dishes, doing the laundry, and just watching television.

_Gahhh._ I can't. Stop. Thinking. This is bothering me too much. I glance around my room, and my lavender eyes fall on the clock. "Ah crap. I have to get to work."

_I don't seem to remember much about last night._ I grab a simple white blouse and a brown skirt. I quickly dress myself and lock my dorm door before leaving. _No, that's not quite right._ I wait patiently at the bus stop that'll lead me about a block away from where I work. _That's right, I remember plenty of last night. I know I got a job at the 'Red Rose'. I remember seeing Hayate-chan and talking to her. I remember meeting Zafira._ The bus arrives only a couple minutes behind schedule. I quietly sit down and look aimlessly out the window. _I remember that stupid horrible...man. My stage name._ I get off at my stop and walk toward a familiar building. _Getting drunk. Did I get drunk? I remember having a lot of alcohol, but... was I drunk?_

And I find myself in front of the 'Red Rose' yet again. _After that, I got off work pretty late. I think. Afterwards..., afterwards, everything gets a bit harder to remember._ I walk in and head straight for the locker room. I change into the ridiculous red rose vest and pair of black pants. I sigh as I look at myself in the mirror. _The outfit is going to take a while to get used to. _Unconciously as I'm thinking, my left hand trails from the collar of the vest and follows the V-cut down, where it ends slightly above my stomach. I'm apparently not supposed to wear a bra for 'service'.

"Hey! Nanoha-chan!" I jump slightly when an arm grabs me around the neck, pulling me in for a half-hug. I crane my neck and am greeted by a widely smiling Hayate.

"Hayate-chan." I reply warmly and return the half-hug.

"I forgot to ask yesterday. Do you have a high tolerance of alcohol?" She releases my neck and sits down behind me and pats the empty seat next to her, indicating for me to sit down. I sit next to her.

"Umm. Not really. Why?"

"Well. I'm your friend, and I feel a bit uncomfortable if you're getting drunk everyday at work, you know. But, ahh, we do this with all of ou— " She coughs slightly. "I mean, the employees. When you request drinks from the bartender for you and the person you're entertaining, you can ask for a well, non-alcoholic drink. It'll be disguised to look slightly alcoholic, but it's just so that no one really develops drinking problems. Of course, you can't tell your clients." Hayate chuckles to herself. "It would cause a bit of a fuss if they found out."

"Really? Wow, that's great. I was just trying to figure out how to decrease my alcohol intake. Nyahaha." I laugh happily. _Drinking problem solved!_

"Oh right. Do you have a stage name yet? You'll be referred to with that name while you work."

"Umm, Shiroi." I laugh nervously as I recall how I made up the name. Hayate-chan looks at me thoughtfully before replying.

"As in, white? Hahahah. That's so like you, Nanoha-chan. How long did it take you to come up with that?" She laughs and gives me a smile that emanates 'good job'. _Eh?_

"Eh?" I squeak as she catches me a bit off guard. Confusion is written all over my face. Hayate is still laughing.

"You're referred to as 'white' at the Red Rose. You know, flower language." Then it hits me. _Ohh. That._ And she continues in a flowery, story-like voice. "Surrounded by a flurry of passion from reds, you remain white, innocent and pure—"

"Stop it Hayate-chan. That's really embarrassing." My face is tinged with pink. I clamp her mouth shut, giggling cutely. "I really didn't give it that much thought. You make it sound like I had some deep meaning behind it. Nyahaha." I remove my hand when I realize she isn't continuing her embarrassing monologue. She joins in laughing. After a while, we settle down a bit. My lavender eyes lock with her glistening blue ones, and I can tell she's not finished making fun of me.

"So what? You did it unconsciously? Doesn't that make it even more amazing?" We both burst into another fit of laughter.

_o o o o o o_

So today at work, I didn't get to help out Zafira at the entrance again. Instead, since business seemed to be booming, I was assigned to random patrons at half an hour intervals. The majority of people I entertained extended their time once or twice, which was a nice surprise considering the first experience I had. _Which reminds me. I forgot to ask Hayate-chan about the boss._ _I guess I'll just ask her later._

I met the bartender, Signum, today too, who I found out is 23. She had long pink hair tied up in a ponytail with a yellow ribbon and lively blue eyes, like Hayate. She was also suited in the Rose outfit that Hayate-chan designed, but she wore a simple collared white blouse and a black tie as well. Signum-san also had an air of professionalism around her and seemed to be the epitome of the 'cool-and-collected' type. She was a bit stoic when I first talked to her, but after a while she started teasing me as well, kind of like Hayate-chan too. I walk over to her, handing back two empty glasses.

"May I get another beer?" I climb slightly exhaustedly on a stool, resting my head in my hands.

"Did you say apple cider?" She says quite loudly as she takes the glasses and refills both of them. I panic slightly. Okay, maybe not slightly.

"S-Signum-san, n-not so loud!" I whisper quickly, shifting my gaze around to see if anyone heard her. Instead, I hear her laughing, at me. I pout slightly. _It's like there's another Hayate..._

"Don't worry, none of the patrons actually come over here." She says comfortingly with a slight smile gracing her features. "Here, one beer for the guest and one cider for the kiddie." Signum says with a straight face, but the ever so minuscule twitch of her lips tells me she's trying not to laugh at me. I narrow my eyes and frown.

At around eight, I'm told that I'm relieved of my duties for about half an hour. I wander around the club searching for the boss, but to no avail.

"Why is the boss not here?" I grumble. I look around for people I recognize; Zafira seems busy, so I go and sit at the bar, watching Signum refill drinks for other hostesses. Silence lingers between us for a couple minutes until she starts the conversation.

"Rough night?" She questions casually while popping open two bottles of beer and handing it to a hostess.

"I guess you can say that." I sigh as lay my head tiredly on the counter and relax in my seat. "Do you know if the boss is in?" I ask hopefully.

"Boss? I'm sure—" Signum looks at me oddly for a couple seconds before a knowing smile plasters itself on her face. "I'm sure you'll meet soon enough. The boss is a pretty busy person. For now though, you can just tell Hayate." I don't know why, but I hear amusement in her tone. I shake away the thought, reasoning that I'm just tired.

_Tell Hayate-chan? That I want to quit? As if. I mean, I guess today wasn't as bad as yesterday, and I don't really have to worry about the alcohol so much now. I suppose I could give it a try. I can spend the whole night flirting shamelessly with all sorts of people. _My mind drips with sarcasm at the last thought.

Today was pretty successful, I would say. I exchanged phone numbers with a couple patrons, drank only two cups of beer, and learned to casually flirt with tons of guys. It's good practice, I guess, for when I get into a relationship. Knowing which comments make people comfortable and which comments lead them on, when to joke and when not to, and when to change topics with nice smooth transitions. I was able to hold friendly conversation with most of my patrons today, which was pleasantly surprising.

_o o o o o o_

I say my good-byes to Signum and Zafira while I'm getting ready to leave. As I walk out of the Red Rose, a cold breeze blows past me. I shiver slightly. "Great job, Nanoha. You forgot a jacket today." Wearing only my blouse and skirt, I walk briskly toward the bus stop. I sit on the empty bench next to the stop, running my hands up and down my arms, trying to warm myself up. "Why is it so cold during the summer?" I grumble to myself. I'm next to a lamppost that's flickering every couple of seconds. Somehow this all seems familiar, but I can't quite place why. _Ah right. It's like a setting in a horror movie._ The thought hits me randomly, but a strange chill runs up my spine, not from the cold.

"Hey." The icy voice drips with venom, as I feel a warm breath tingling next to my ear. I shriek as I jump off the bench, a bit freaked out. Okay, really freaked out. _I didn't even feel anyone remotely close to me. _I turn around quickly, to find ruby red eyes glaring menacingly at me. Beautiful golden tresses blow lightly in the cool night breeze, caressing her soft pale skin. Her hands are on her hips exuding a condescending aura. She's wearing a black jacket, a black turtle neck, and a pair of dark blue jeans, the latter two both of which hug her figure tightly, showing well placed curves. I gasp in shock and then sigh in relief.

"D-don't **do** that! You scared me." I place a hand over my chest to try to calm my heart. She sighs, her hands raised in a 'I give up' gesture. Of what, I don't know. I sit back down on the bench, and she walks around and sits on the other side. _She seems calm now._

"What the _hell_ are you doing _here_? It's like you're _trying_ to get yourself killed." She reprimands me angrily and scowls at me. _Okay, she's not calm at all. _

"What are you talking about?" I have no idea what she's referring to, and look at her curiously.

"I thought I _told_ her to watch out for her _stupid_ friend." She mumbles angrily, while squeezing the bridge of her nose in frustration. "I found you around this area yesterday. I thought you'd be smart and _not_ come back here." Her low icy voice bites at me. Her attitude is getting on my nerves, and my eyes narrow slightly.

"Well, I don't exactly _remember_ what happened. And I had to come to work. I don't want to be **fired**." I counter with rising anger.

"You could've called in _sick_." She replies in a matter-of-fact tone, annoyance laced in each word. _W-what?!_

"I didn't _feel_ sick!" I stand up angrily and point an accusing finger at her. "And I don't even _know _you. How do I know you're not a suspicious person?! For all I know, you could just jump me and kill me now while no one is watching!" I practically scream at her.

"Don't tempt me." She mumbles sarcastically to herself. "How am I suspicious? I'm a—oh." She stops abruptly, covering her face with her hand. "I forgot to introduce myself." She scolds herself, all her anger evaporates, vanishing into thin air. I glare at her, the words sinking in ever so slowly. It takes a minute for my anger to subside.

"Yeah. You-" I'm cut off as a bus slides to a stop in front of me which brings a gust of the cold night air and causes me to shiver violently. I look up at the bus, reading the number. "Sorry, but I have to get on this bus." I walk toward the bus doors. I quickly climb into the bus, hoping that it's warmer inside. I'm disappointed; it's warmer, but not enough to stop my shivering. I search my blouse pocket for my fare, but a hand reaches forward from behind me, placing the amount for two people into the machine.

"I'll escort you home." She says quietly, her warm breath dancing behind my ear, and I shudder slightly at the feeling. Before I can turn down her offer, she pushes me gently toward one of the seats and sits next to me. An awkward silence surrounds us, neither daring or wanting to really speak up. I keep my gaze on my hands which are trembling because of the cold. _I need to say thanks, even if she is an irritating person._ I hear clothes rustling near me as she stands up. _She's going to leave. I need to say thanks. Just a 'thank you'._

"Umm." I clench my hands partly out of nervousness, but mostly in an attempt to ward off the cold. "I-I just..., than-" She takes a step and stands in front of me. I feel a slight weight on my shoulders and my head snaps up to see her draping her jacket on me. My escort sits back down next to me.

"Go ahead and wear it. You look like you need it more than I do." She states plainly, but her voice has a hint of softness to it. I blush in embarrassment as I pull the jacket closer to myself. _It's warm._

"T-thanks." I whisper shyly. She nods in acknowledgment. Silence surrounds us once again.

_o o o o o o_

At some point in the bus ride, I slipped on the jacket that she gave me and zipped it up, relishing in the warmth. I notice my stop coming up and stand, getting ready to get off the bus. I turn to my escort and find that her eyes are closed peacefully with her arms crossed.

"Umm." I prod quietly. Her gorgeous burgundy eyes open, and she looks at me questioningly. "Would you like to come up? For coffee or tea, or something." I ask invitingly.

"At two in the morning." She deadpans. The bus slows down and then stops with a hiss. My eyes fixate on the floor as I feel heat creep up my face. "I think I'd rather go home and sleep. You should as well, Takamachi-san."

"Umm, okay. Bye." and I quickly exit the bus. It starts off again and drives down the street. I let out a sigh as the embarrassment fades away. I walk into the building and up to my shared room, although Hayate-chan stays with her relatives over the summer, so half-empty shared room. I reach the door and sigh tiredly, my head thunks lightly on the wood.

"Coffee or tea...? Couldn't I have come up with something else?" I unlock the door and walk in, closing the door with my foot. "I need a shower." I start to undress, first unzipping the jacket, then unbuttoning the blouse and pulling off my skirt. _Wait. Jacket?_ I slap my forehead lightly. "I forgot to return her jacket."

After I finish showering, I dress in my pajamas and flop down on my bed. I groan in delight as I slowly slide myself under the covers, my tiredness slowly catching up to me. Before long, I succumb to the callings of a blissful slumber.

* * *

**a/n**: and so the second chapter is up. less swearing on Nanoha's part. XD sorry this chapter seems a bit slow paced. or...it seems slow to me. maybe it's cause i'm writing in days? writing it all in nanoha-spec is hard. maybe i should've done third person omniscient?  
nanoha and...fate. they don't seem to like each other much, huh? haha..ha. well, hope you liked it.

thanks for the reviewsss. imagine lots of hearts and hugs and other pinky fluffy stuff.  
they inspired me to write more...faster. haha :P


	3. Day 3 Wednesday

You know that feeling of waking up in an extremely sour mood because the neighbor's stupid dog won't shut up?

Okay, so you're dreaming, happily, comfortably, peacefully, and in a half-conscious state, deciding that since the alarm hasn't gone off, lazying in bed sounds like a great idea. In fact, it's the best idea ever and snuggle closer into the soft fluffy covers. Then it begins.

_Arf._

Obviously, in a half-conscious state, the slightly intrusive noise doesn't exactly register, but it doesn't exactly let you slide back into the sleep you so desire either. It's fine though because the soft blanket nestled against your face is comfort enough.

_Arf. Arf._

Groaning slightly, you're pulled into consciousness but keep your eyes closed, not at all pleased at the feeling of being woken up. Realizing the alarm still hasn't gone off, you pull the covers over your head, trying to ward off that irritating sound.

Silence. A happy sigh, and you're slowly being pulled back, sleep beckoning.

_Arf._

Nope. Awake again. You register the barking and grumble slightly. And you just lay there, keeping your eyes shut, hoping this is just some horrible dream because you really want those eight hours of sleep. Just eight hours of blissful uninterrupted sleep. Is that really too much to ask for? Maybe if you endure enough, it'll stop and sleep will come again. A battle of wills, to put it dramatically. But no one listens. That noise just continues.

_Arf. Arf. Arf._

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" You yell angrily, snap your eyes open, and sit up in bed. Obviously, the dog wins the battle, but that thought is already long gone. "God _damn_ it." And that's how the day begins, but the barking doesn't stop.

Except in my case, it wasn't a fucking dog.

_Lucky_ me. The noise was worse than a dog's barking. Imagine babysitting a little kid. Cute and cuddly, right? No, wrong, at least not right now anyway. Why? Because she's totally beating the shit out of a pan with her stupid spatula and the noise is driving you insane. She screams and yells and is downright infuriating, but luckily, little kids can be pleased. She pouts for some candy. So I can give the little evil thing some sweets and she'll calm down, smile happily, and shut the hell up.

Except in my case, _again lucky_ me, I couldn't give any fucking candy to some kid because it wasn't a fucking kid. It, no, they, were _much_ worse than any little kid could ever be. Kids were cute; they were not, at _all_. They were...

I glare angrily out my window: A battalion of construction workers.

Burly, sweaty, loud workers who are equipped with their very own vehicles: the cement truck and a tiny army of loading trucks, the first of which has that excruciatingly painful alarm when it backs up.

Speak of the devil, there it goes. A groan escapes my mouth.

Commanding this special regiment from the sidelines are a couple of contractors and probably a representative of an architect firm. I don't know why they're here, and frankly I really don't care, but what I do know is...

together,

**They're the Symphony from Hell.**

"What should I wear today?" My hands shuffle aimlessly through my closet and stop upon a cute white and blue skirt. Running my fingers on the familiar texture, yesterday's shivering episode comes rushing through my head, and I instantly grab a pair of jeans and a white and pink striped long-sleeved shirt. "Definitely not going through that again." After dressing myself, I quickly head for the door, the crescendo of the outdoor symphony eating away at my sanity. "Ah wait. I need a jacket."

My hand runs through the various apparel hanging in my closet once again. I really don't have that many jackets, two actually: my heavier winter one and the lighter, more often worn, one.

"Speaking of which. Where is it?" _Doesn't seem to be in my closet. Did I wear it recently...? _I scan the room, searching for a light brown jacket. "Ah. There it is."My feet automatically carry me towards my destination: a jacket strewn carelessly on my chair... along with another jacket. A black one.

"Seems I did wear it..." _Ah that's right. The day I started working at the Red Rose. The day that I met... _"her." My eyes glance over at _her_ jacket as I pick up my own with my right hand. _Or so she says even though I don't really remember seeing her face. _"Oh. The buttons..." My free hand's fingers trail down the front of the tan jacket, hovering a couple seconds at the areas where there used to be buttons.

A throb. My head suddenly starts hurting, and I see an image...a vision, or something. _A memory._

_Somehow, things seem to be slowed down, or something._ I remember thinking that. Then, a knife._ His knife trails down my neck and down to my jacket, popping the buttons as it goes lower. He reaches my stomach and cold metal touches my skin._ While the memory replays in my mind, my hand trails down my neck and body and stops at my stomach. _Here._ I can feel the chill of the blade, and I shudder.

"_Hey." A new voice. _Whose?

"Hey." Three consecutive knocks. At the door. "Is anyone there?" Another three knocks. _That voice. _I stare blankly at the door, my mind slowly registering my surroundings and that I am, indeed, in my room. And there's someone at my door.

"A-Ah. Hold on a sec!" I yell across the room as I place my jacket back on my chair and walk towards the door. Upon its opening, I'm met with an unusual sight: a glaring Hayate-chan. She angrily snaps shut her cellphone, places it in her bag, and points an accusing finger at me.

"I can't believe I was right. _What_ are you still doing here?" She stalks past me.

"Eh?" I turn around and follow her as she points out the window.

"The construction workers?" Her voice slightly softer than before.

"What about them?"

" They're going to be working on our dorm building." Hayate-chan looks at me expectantly. Apparently I'm supposed to understand what she's referring to. But. I don't.

"And?" _What is it?_

"...Nanoha-chan. Please tell me you're doing this on purpose?" She walks over and rests her hands on my shoulder.

"What?" _No, I'm not. Just tell me._

"Remember the notice before school ended? They said construction would start at the beginning of the summer in hopes of finishing before the school year started again."

"I vaguely remember it. Why?"

"..._you_." Her hands surround my neck in a fake choking gesture. Hayate-chan stares at me intently, then sighs and places her hands on my shoulder again. "The notice also said that everyone was supposed to 'evacuate the premises to ensure the highest productivity'."

"By when?" Realization slowly dawns on my face. Another sigh from Hayate.

"Yesterday."

Silence. _Well, _t_hat explains why I was woken up by a symphony today._

"Oh. Umm-"

"I'll help you pack." She glides toward the closet, pulling out a couple of boxes. "For now, we can store your stuff at my place."

"Y-yeah. I. Umm. Thanks, Hayate-chan."

"Do you have any relatives you can stay with? I'd offer, but... there's a slight problem." She gives an apologetic look.

"Nyahaha. It's okay, you're already doing plenty to help me." I hug her affectionately. "I was just going to stay at an apartment or something."

And so, after packing furiously with help from Hayate-chan, we are able to store a couple sets of my clothes and various necessities in two decently sized boxes.

o o o o o o

We somehow sneak past undetected and end up at Hayate's place. And it _is_ small: one bathroom, one kitchen and laundry area, and a relatively big room that's split into a sleeping space and a living room. For five people. She says that it's similar to a mini-base because their main house is in a different city.

"Sorry for the intrusion." I say politely, following her, and we set the boxes in a corner of the room and sit comfortably on a couch in the living room section. _It has a really homely atmosphere though._

"I'm home!" Hayate calls out enthusiastically. "Vita-chan's probably the only one home right now. Everyone else is usually out during the day. Sometimes they come in at odd hours, but normally they have a pretty busy schedule." A clump on the floor grumbles and shifts, and a little redhead with blue eyes glances lazily at Hayate-chan. She stands and half-consciously walks toward Hayate. My friend gives me a 'see-I-was-right' look and then pulls Vita onto her lap, giving a warm hug.

"Vita-chan, this is my friend Nanoha-chan." Hayate-chan says while Vita rubs her eyes sleepily. The little girl gives a grunt in acknowledgment, looks at me suspiciously, pouts, and then hugs Hayate tightly. Protectively. _As if I'm going to steal Hayate-chan from her._ I stifle a laugh. _Kids are just too lovable._

"Say hello." Hayate scolds lightly, giving her a little squeeze of encouragement.

"Hi." She says reluctantly.

"Hello, Vita-chan." I give a friendly smile.

"Are you moving in with us?" Silence. She looks at Hayate with an utterly adorable confused expression. "You guys brought boxes." Her logic. There's a reply at the tip of my tongue, but Hayate-chan beats me to it.

"Would that be okay with you?" She pets the redhead lovingly, causing a happy squeal of delight. "You wouldn't mind?" Hayate prods gently.

_I'd offer, but... there's a slight problem. _She said. _Ah. _She was referring to Vita-chan. Whether she would allow for me to stay with them. If she was willing to let me.

"Mmm. Okay, if it makes Hayate happy." Hayate-chan smiles pleasantly and rubs Vita's head.

"Anything planned for today?" My friend asks the little redhead.

"Not really. I was going to go visit Shamal." Vita mumbles the last part, and Hayate gives her a slightly annoyed expression.

"You know how busy she is with work. You shouldn't bother her too much. How about I take you to the park and we can get ice cream-"

"and watch a movie!" Vita-chan's eyes brighten happily. _I can see it in their eyes._

"Hahaha. Alright, we can watch a movie." Hayate-chan agrees with mock resistance. _And_ _I can hear it in their voices._

_There's so much love in this family. _I smile at the nostalgic feeling.

"So, you're welcome to stay. Make yourself at home." My friend says invitingly.

_I should be happy. No, I am happy. But, what is this feeling. Full of nostalgia and dread. There's this strange nagging sensation in the back of my head that I can't get rid of._

_I should make myself at home. With Hayate-chan's family. As I do with my family._

_I should act as I normally do with my... family._

_Ah...so that's what it was._

"Nyahaha. Thank you for having me, Vita-chan, Hayate-chan" I give a thankful smile. "You're the best. But I'm only taking advantage of your hospitality for a couple of days while I search for a nice place for myself."

_That nostalgic bittersweet knowledge that comes with loving others:_

_Knowing that I'm being an inconvenience to the people I love. _

_An extra._

o o o o o o

And so, Hayate-chan and I went our separate ways; I went in search for an apartment, gathering information on all nearby apartments I could visit while she accompanied Vita-chan to the park.

There was a huge array of apartments from luxuriously grand to small and simple. By the time I had prices and other information on the majority of apartments in the area, it was late in the afternoon. I sit or more, collapse, tiredly on a conveniently placed bench, catching my breath.

Work was waiting, and I needed to look as lively as possible. _Maybe I shouldn't have looked at so many today. I should've been smart and actually did research before barging into random apartments asking questions. _A tired sigh escapes my lips, and I try in an unsuccessful attempt to will energy into my body..

"I'll look at farther locations tomorrow." My voice hopeful as I head into the Rose after about half an hour of rest. But deep down, I know the biggest problem is money. I don't have enough to make any sort of deposit, or if I do, then buying food would be my next obstacle. Asking for money at home wouldn't work either. Once my family finds out I've been kicked out from the dorm, they'll want me home, ASAP. "I get paid by the month too. How long have I been working?" I count the days on my fingers. _One, two, three._ A sigh. _Okay then. I'll just have to do a really good job as a hostess and get as much of a tip as I can every day...from each customer. _I dress myself quickly in the all too familiar outfit that I'm required to wear, running my fingers through the V again before beginning work.

Work is pretty uneventful, which is good: I entertained a lot of people selected at random, and luckily no rather unbearable patrons either, but nothing worth mentioning. It's just the normal lively flirting of hostesses and customers at the Rose.

Actually, now that I think about it, everyone is always lively here. Looking around, the place is absolutely _packed_ with people while still giving a sense of privacy to all the patrons. Business is good, as usual. Maybe a little too good. I glance over at Zafira, and he doesn't seem to be calling in people. In fact, he seems to be telling people to come back later or to just go away. _I guess we're full today. _

As I head towards Signum, I notice a couple people sitting in the stools and just drinking and conversing with her.

"Hey Signum-san." My normal tired greeting to her. She looks at me and laughs.

"Another round of drinks? What is this, your sixth now?" She grabs a couple cups as I nod affirmatively and slide into an empty seat.

"What can I say. He can drink a lot." Signum busies herself with refilling a glass for a person sitting on a stool. "Hey, Signum-san. Didn't you say that none of the patrons actually came over here." I whisper to her as she walks past me.

"The boss decided to open a little mini bar for those that don't want a hostess around them at all times. It's kind of experimental right now, but it brings in a bit more money." I glance around the club, again met by the sight of people everywhere.

"Is it always so busy here? Yesterday was pretty...full too." A tired sigh escapes my lips. Signum places her hand on my head, giving me a couple pats.

"Hang in there kiddie. Just a couple more hours." She says in a teasingly understanding tone, my lips turn down into a slight frown.

o o o o o o

During my break, I gladly head outside for some needed fresh air. The cool night wind gliding past me, which sends a familiar voice floating towards me. But from where?

"I already told you I wouldn't." There, that oddly familiar female voice. I start walking forward, toward the voice.

"Why not?" Another voice laced with irritation. I freeze. Really, I shouldn't, but curiosity gets the best of me, so I stand quietly, eavesdropping.

"Can't we go inside to discuss this?" She asks hopefully.

"I'm not going in there unless I get what I want." Steely resolve. An exasperated sigh comes from the familiar voice.

"Alright. Alright. I'll see what I can do. I'll contact you later." And that is my cue to leave before being seen. I hurry quickly back into the Rose, slightly wondering what just transpired. _That was Hayate-chan._

"On break?" Zafira,with a glass of scotch in one hand, questions me.

"Ah, yeah. You as well?

"Well, this is as close to being on a break as I can get. I'm currently leisurely walking around the club looking for rowdy guests to kick out." His voice full of exaggeration, causing me to giggle. He raises his glass politely. "Well then, I shall get back to work. Have a nice break."

I wander around the club for a couple more minutes and eat the provided microwave dinner before going back to work. While talking to another patron assigned to me, I notice Hayate-chan walking into the boss's office, cellphone pressed against her ear. She seems a bit uneasy. _Did it have to do with before?_

As the clock quietly creeps towards the closing hours, the crowd at the Rose slowly diminishes, leaving me fairly exhausted and with a couple minutes to rest before entertaining someone else. I was able to attend to some familiar patrons from yesterday, continuing in our casual and slightly flirtatious conversations.

And as usual, I get off at one. As I'm undressing in the locker room, I notice that the club's outfit doesn't bother me as much as it used to. _It could be worse. Much worse._ _How many different designs did Hayate-chan make before this one was accepted? I can just picture her with a sketchbook and-no. No, don't think about it._

"Nanoha-chan, you're still here?" A tired Hayate walks into the room, fumbling through her locker.

"I just got off. And you?"

"Oh. Some large company was being really obnoxious and wanted to schedule a meeting today, so I had to stay later than usual... dealing with them." She grimaces.

"So that person you were talking with outside..."

"Oh, you heard that? Yep. That's them. They've been hounding us for weeks for reservations for the VIP private rooms. They just don't seem to understand that we don't give out reservations." Hayate-chan sighs tiredly. "Well, whatever. Want to go home now?"

"Alright."

She grabs a purse from her locker and we head out. As we're leaving the club, Hayate-chan and I pass by Zafira.

"Zafira. I'll be going home first."

"Alright. Signum and I will be home shortly."

"Eh? You guys live together... they're your relatives?" My voice as calm as I can manage. Hayate looks at me questioningly.

"Yeah." She gives me an odd look.

"I-I see. Yes, that does make sense... Signum's teasing..." I mumble to myself and frown slightly when I see that familiar gleam in Hayate-chan's eyes.

o o o o o o

Hayate's place is walking distance from the Rose, so we arrive after about twenty minutes of light conversation. Vita-chan is already asleep, curled up in a blanket.

"I'm going to shower first, okay?" My friend says while heading towards the bathroom.

"Okay." I open up and fumble through my boxes, gather a couple of my things and set them next to me. With all of today's activities coming to a standstill, exhaustion catches up to me. My eyes droop slightly while I'm sitting with my hands resting in one of the boxes.

"You can shower now." Hayate-chan's voice barely registers in my mind. "You'll catch a cold dozing off like that." She walks towards me and lightly shakes me awake."

"W-wuh?" My eyes open tiredly.

"Shower. Your turn." She smiles at my sleepy face. I get up, gather my things and head to the warm shower. Afterwards, I'm slightly more awake, and as I come out, Hayate holds up a black jacket.

"When did you buy this? I don't remember seeing you wear it. Ever. Would you even buy something with so much...black?"

"Ah. S-Someone lent it to me." I take a couple steps towards the jacket, trying to hide my nervousness. There is a flicker of amusement in her eyes, and I inwardly groan.

"Who?"

"E-errmm. Uhh, well..." A blush creeps up my face. '_I don't know her name.' I can't say that._ "J-just someone I met a couple days ago. It's not important." I hurriedly snatch the jacket and place it behind me, so she can't see it. Hayate just gives me an odd look and an even odder smile.

"Okay, whatever you say." She says in a singsong voice. Thinking the teasing session is over- "You really should tell me when you get yourself a boyfriend. You don't have to hold back." She adds casually.

"I don't _have_ a _boyfriend_! And it was a girl, a _girl_." I counter exasperatedly, wanting the conversation to end, _now_. And it does, but Hayate-chan has a triumphant 'I win' smirk on her face. _Ah crap. I told her. _I sigh tiredly.

She shifts her attention towards Vita-chan. "So, sleeping arrangements. You wouldn't mind sleeping on the couch, right? Unless you prefer to snuggle up with Vita-chan and me." She teases me, again.

"The couch sounds good." I head toward the couch as Hayate untangles the blanket from Vita. The little redhead mumbles slightly and Hayate-chan coaxes her back to sleep.

"Alright then. Night." My friend whispers quietly to not disturb the little girl.

"Night." Turning off the lights, I remember that I didn't pack blankets, thinking I wouldn't need them. A sigh. _A replacement._ Looking for a substitute, I use the black jacket which is still in my hands, as a makeshift blanket. And I drift to sleep with _her_ scent surrounding me. Familiar and... comforting. _Like before. _

_Before?_

I hear the click of the door as it opens and thumping feet of Signum, Zafira, and Shamal, I'm guessing, come home. But I don't think much of it in my half-concious state.

All I know is that I feel safe.

As if warm hands are wrapped around me protectively.

o o o o o o

**a/n**: so, third chapter. I was requested not to enter my room...which is where my computer and such is. So I had to secretly steal the story files off my desktop and transfer them to my old laptop to work on them. Alas...my laptop is an old decrepit piece of...anyway, it kept on blue screening on me. So err...that is a little snippet of my adventure writing this. Haha...ha. Hope you liked this chapter.

Well, you guys(you know who you are) can guess and speculate all you want. I wont tell you anything!! (laughs nervously and runs away)  
**dopecar**: For fun, I used the find command in open office for the word 'I' in my last two chapters. My results were... entertaining to say the least. And that was one thing that was bothering me, so thank you for the advice. I kind of tried it out in my phailtastic way.  
**ToumaSan**: I totally worked extra fast 'cause of the cookie. :D  
**handlewithcare**: jyouou? I don't usually watch dorama, but it does seem similar. And thanks for telling me about anon reviews. Haha...i had no idea...TAT

Thanks for all the reviewss and the lovely encouragement. I swear i'll someday be able to express my gratitude in some form of a... well, something. Lol But for now you will all have to be content with updates and imaginary flowers.

And oh mai gawwrrr. Asterisks don't work for me?! That was a really really depressing revelations.


	4. Day 4 Thursday

"H-hey." The voice stutters more out of surprise than anything else. An uncomfortable pressure against my neck retreats, and warm strong arms circle my waist tightly, keeping my unresponsive body upright and pressed closely against hers. Her legs and feet shift slightly, crunching the gravel beneath, to counter-balance my body.

_I can't seem to talk or see anything. I guess I'm not really awake, but my mind or unconscious mind is perfectly clear; I'm asleep and probably dreaming all of this. A kind of out-of-body experience. __Or maybe it's one of those moments in time where you're unresponsive but can still kind of register your surroundings. So in reality, you remember something, but you don't necessarily recall it when you're awake because you weren't awake when it happened. Well anyway, that's what I feel like I'm going through right now. _

A sigh.

_In simpler terms, it's one of those recollections that can only happen because I'm not awake. Because I'm dreaming. _

"You're joking, right? This isn't funny."What would have been a beautiful and gentle voice, was instead laced with irritation and dread. "You start provoking me and then collapse on me." Another sigh. "How am I supposed to respond to this? I can't exactly leave a pretty girl like you out here. Though it's your fault to begin with. But... who knows how long until you wake. And if anything happens, it'd be my faul- no. No." _'This can't be happening.' I can almost hear her mind scream that thought._

After a minute or so of silence there is yet another sigh. My body is lowered, my arms placed over her shoulders. With a grunt, she lifts me up onto her back.

"_Dammit. _I can't believe I'm doing this."

She walks and walks and walks. In silence. Occasionally, when my body starts slipping down, it is hoisted onto her back. Not a word comes out of her mouth the entire time, not even a grumble or complaint of any sort. After some time, she speaks up.

"Is there a room available?" _A room?_

"A one-bed room for you and your girlfriend." A scratchy voice answers with a hint of amusement.

"Ahh, no. We're not. Two-bed rooms are fine." She replies hastily.

"Enjoy. Room 204, second floor." He dangles the keys near her. After a short pause, she sighs, and frees one of the hands supporting me to grab the keys. When we reach the room, after a tiring, on her part, climb up the stairs, and what sounded like a battle with the door, she sits on the bed and pushes me off her back unceremoniously onto said bed.

"You know." She muses aloud. "You could do me a favor...

**...And Hey- Vita-chan?!"**

My eyes open tiredly and are greeted by a face full of lively bright blue eyes staring straight at me. I blink a couple times. _Wha... _As I sit up, the blue eyes slide away, revealing a little redhead in braids. She looks at me for a while before grinning and turning her head to the side.

"Hayate. She's awake!" _Hayate? _My friend walks into the living room sporting a frilly pink apron. However a frown adorns her face, and she holds out a bowl of carrots.

"Vita-chan! I told you to finish y-oh, Nanoha-chan. Morning." A smile. "Did you sleep well?" _Oh right. I stayed the night. _Hayate-chan walks up to me and places her hand on Vita's head. She gives the redhead a stern look before handing over the bowl. The nine-year-old ignores Hayate, or tries, and after a minute or two, begins to fidget under my friend's gaze. Vita-chan pouts angrily but still takes the bowl.

"Yeah. It was comfortable." I answer when it seems Hayate-chan has won. My friend gives me that dreadfully oh-so-familiar smile.

"Mmm. I'm sure." Sarcasm drips from each word. "Considering the way you were snuggling up to that _unimportant_ jacket." She doesn't wait for my reaction and turns her attention to Vita, who seems to be glaring at the carrots. "Vita-chan." Hayate-chan reprimands lightly. "You'll stay short forever if you don't eat your carrots." While I try to stutter out some sort of reply and keep from burning up with embarrassment, the little redhead reluctantly starts eating the abominable orange vegetable, albeit angrily.

_o o o o o o_

After rummaging through my box of clothes, I dress myself in jeans and a tank top. Hayate-chan calls me to the kitchen, patting a chair next to her and Vita, who is still battling the bowl of carrots. A chuckle threatens to escape my mouth, but I repress it. As I sit down, Hayate slides a plate of toast and a bowl of fruits in front of me.

"Breakfast. What would you like to drink?" She smiles at me happily.

"Thanks. Um, water is fine." I say politely at which my friend laughs lightly.

"Relax, relax. Don't be so formal. You like coffee, right?" She pats my shoulder comfortingly as she stands and grabs a cup and fills it with the warm liquid from the coffee pot.

"Nyahaha. You know me too well." I take the offered coffee, take a sip, and give a satisfied sigh, relaxing in the pleasant aroma. Hayate-chan sits back down and smirks happily, as if she's won something. Ignoring her, I bite down into the warm toast, chewing happily.

"You owe me a favor. For staying here. I'm also giving you breakfast and good quality coffee." She says quite bluntly, I must say, after I finish chewing and take a sip of the coffee, her smile widening. A surprised cough erupts from my throat.

"Gahck." A light fit of coughing. "W-What?"

"Hmm. What should I make you do?" _She ignores me._ "Oh right, your parents own a bakery/cafe place?" She has that horrible gleam in her eyes. A strange chill runs up my spine.

"Umm. Yeah, they do." My voice replies hesitantly in dread.

"Great! Then you should know how to bake too." That terribly happy smile again, and she turns to the little red head, who's finishing up her carrots. "Vita-chan. What kind of pastries would you like to try? I personally would like to try a Nanoha-made eclair." _E-Ehh?!_

"Anything without carrots." Vita mumbles. Then much louder. "A fruit tart or a napoleon." She looks at me with her adorably cute face. "You can really bake?" Her eyes shimmer expectantly. _Thank god I helped out in the store all the time. And how old is Vita-chan? Eight? Nine? How does she know what a napoleon is?!_

"Of course she can!" Hayate voices before I can answer, patting my back rather roughly. "But we don't exactly have an oven." She says somewhat disappointed, and Vita-chan seems to visibly droop. "Well, let's waste no time. Nanoha-chan, we're going to go buy some ingredients." I can't exactly follow her train of thought, I realize. My friend stands up quickly, and Vita-chan seems to liven up in excitement as well.

"But you just said there was no oven here." I am ,obviously, visibly confused.

"Vita-chan, be a good girl, okay?" She ignores me and pats the little redhead gently.

"Okay." Vita nods happily and then looks at Hayate with a straight face. "I'll guard the house." She says determinedly. The little redhead is so serious that it's quite hilarious. But I don't laugh, out loud.

"Haha. I'll be back later tonight with cookies." My friend pushes me towards the door as I stand. "We're leaving."

"Ah, hey. I didn't finish eating." I whine slightly, wanting to finish the coffee.

"Aww, really? It's okay. Baking is funner." I can practically feel the brown haired girl's smirk.

"Come back safely. Hayate... Nanoha." She says the last part softly, but Hayate-chan gives me a warm smile, so I know my friend heard it as well. Before realizing it, I'm smiling a bit as well. We wave to Vita-chan before closing the door.

"Hmm? It seems you're growing on her already." Hayate-chan says after closing the door.

"Because you said I could bake." I joke lightly as we both walk out onto the street. The morning sun livening up the otherwise normal cityscape as its rays of warm light give the trees, streets, and buildings a somewhat ethereal glow. Everything is quite breathtaking in its own way.

"Hahaha. Right." We both laugh heartily before she pauses. "You can bake, right? I've never actually seen you use an oven before." She eyes me suspiciously.

"I can. I can. Don't worry about that. I'll be sure to make cookies that Vita-chan and you will enjoy." My lips widen into a reassuring smile. "But..."

"Hmm?" She replies casually.

"You said there wasn't an oven in your house." _I am still confused._

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Where would we be baking then?"

"Oh. Haha. Well, there's a fully equipped kitchen at the Red Rose, since we make our own foods if possible. It's cheaper that way. So we'll use that oven."

"E-Eh? Is that really okay? To just barge in when it's closed and use the kitchen?" _Can Hayate-chan do that?_

"Hmm. Well, I kind of have to meet the boss there today, so I can ask for permission. And it's fine as long as the Rose isn't open. So we have to get there quickly." Hayate-chan says with certainty.

_o o o o o o_

And so Hayate-chan and I are browsing through the baking section in the grocery store, looking for ingredients. The store is massive, fully lined with rows and rows of just...stuff. Anything, everything.

"So which is better? This brand or the other?" Hayate asks, holding two different brands of Vanilla extract.

"The first one. It's stronger."

"Which flour should we get?"

"Cake."

"Why not pastry flour?" And on and on and on through all of the shopping and browsing. While waiting in line to pay at these auto-checkout stations, my friend gives me a surprised expression. "So you really _do_ know your stuff." She says, impressed.

"Hey..." I narrow my eyes and counter in mock-anger. "What did-" Her cellphone rings, cutting me off, and Hayate-chan quickly flips it open, looking at the caller.

"Sorry, I have to take this call." She raises one hand in an apologetic gesture and walks a bit away, tapping the 'accept call' button. After a couple seconds of silence. "You're there already?...Now? Can't you wait-Ack! Okay, okay. I'm heading over right now." My friend turns to me. "Ah, sorry. I'll pay you back okay? I have to go. Right now."

"Ah, okay. It's no problem." A reassuring smile.

"Meet me at the Rose when you're done, okay?" Hayate-chan says while turning around towards the exit.

"Sure. You'd better hurry." I raise my voice a bit louder as she's walking away.

"Alright. See you later." She waves with her back facing me. And with that, Hayate-chan was gone to meet the boss. My eyes follow her until the sliding doors close behind her receding form. _I kind of want to meet the boss._ One of the stations free up as the one previously using it finishes bagging his items, and I walk over, touching the screen to begin scanning my stuff._ I don't think I've even seen him yet. _I quickly pay, collect my receipt, and head towards the Rose. This area is a bit unfamiliar to me, so I scan the area for a bus stop. _They tend to have maps of the area._ After seeing one about a block away, I hurriedly walk over, studying my position and the route I need to walk. After a couple minutes of running and then walking when I was a bit exhausted, still quite anxious of the opportunity to see said boss, I'm greeted by a...well, interesting sight, when I'm on the other side of the street from the Rose.

An awfully familiar blonde seems to be talking calmly with Hayate-chan. Well, that's what one would assume at first sight, but upon closer inspection, one would notice that with each word from the her, my friend seems to be shrinking back a little bit. Just a little. I glance away and look at the street light, waiting for it to turn green. After a couple seconds, about ten, the colors change. As I'm walking across the street, Hayate-chan raises her hands in a 'okay okay, I'm sorry' gesture. I can't really tell. Maybe it's more 'back off. I give up.' As I near the two, what's left of the conversation reaches my ears.

"But she's my friend." Hayate-chan says hopefully, whining.

"That doesn't matter." The one with golden hair, pale skin, and lovely crimson eyes says sternly. "I've already told you that-" She stops mid-sentence as she notices my presence and looks at me with an annoyed expression. The conversation ends aprubtly. Silence. Hayate-chan looks at the fair skinned girl, follows her eyes, turns, and sees me as well. A smile practically blooms on my friend's face.

"Ah, Nanoha-chan! Come over here and meet the boss." _B-Boss?! Her? No way... _She eagerly slides behind me and pushes me towards _her_. "Boss, this is Nanoha-chan." I glance quickly behind at Hayate-chan and see a horrible gleam in her eyes. _Oh no. What now?_ "The one you're so _worried_ over." My face heats up at the insinuating tone that she uses.

"Hayate." The boss looks at my friend tiredly, her ruby-colored eyes narrow. A sigh escapes her lips. But, my friend, totally wrapped up in all the excitement she's somehow feeling, continues talking.

"And since _you_ are the boss, isn't it _your _responsibility as the employer to ensure the safety of your employees?" A pause. "I'm _sure_ you've met?" A sudden random question. Hayate-chan looks at me, and I nod slowly, noticing that the gleam is still there. "So there's no problem." A conclusion she arrives at, somehow. She says in finality. _W-What?_

"What exactly are you talking about, Hayate?" The boss questions calmly and glances at me, barely. _As if she's asking the question on...my behalf? No, I'm just imagining it. _I deny quickly.

"Well of course, since you've gone home with her before, Nanoha-chan should be comfortable with you being her escort, again, right? And it's not as if you are doing anything in particular anyway. You can kill two birds with one stone!" My friend explains happily. "I keep her safe as a friend and you don't have to worry about her at all." She has that accomplished smile on her face. _No._

"W-Wait. I barely know _her_! I can't just-" I stutter.

"But you already have, right? From what I've heard anyway." She has a sly grin plastered on her face.

"Hayate..." The boss says in her soft, calm, and slightly irritated voice. However, my friend continues.

"It's totally logical, right? You can't argue with that." The boss sighs and gives a steady stare at Hayate-chan, who stares back. _Like some sort of private conversation that doesn't need words._

"Okay, fine. You win. I'll escort her." A pause. "Is that fine with you?" She looks at me and asks, more out of politeness than any other feeling.

"Huh? Ah. I, suppose...so." a blush unknowingly creeps up my face. After a couple seconds of _awkward_ silence. The blonde speaks up.

"Well, I have to take care of something so I'll be leaving." She turns arou-

"W-Wait!" I speak up desperately. The boss pauses before give me an odd look. "Have you asked yet?" I ask Hayate-chan.

"Asked what?" my friend replies with another question. _I guess not._

"Umm, may we use the kitchen?" My attention directs to the blonde. A pause. A _long_ pause.

"For what?" She asks cautiously.

"Oh right! To bake cookies!" Hayate-chan says quite enthusiastically. The blonde sighs exasperatedly.

"You guys..." Her eyes narrow in a 'are you serious' expression.

_o o o o o o_

After a bit of pouting on Hayate's part, we are allowed into the Rose by the boss, and I quickly bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies for Hayate-chan and Vita-chan. We both discuss what shapes to make, how much chocolate to use, sizes and other small details. While I baked, Hayate-chan wanted and attempted to eat all the cookie dough when I asked her to help me. She might have just been pretending, but she seemed pretty intent on eating it all _Honestly, sometimes I can't tell if she's really mature or just childish. Maybe Vita-chan is rubbing off on her._

We split soon afterwards, wrapping the batch in a clear plastic bag with cute heart and star designs. I head via bus towards the suburbs in search of, yet again, more apartments or other rooms for rent. The search isn't very productive. There aren't that many apartments in the area, some scattered quite randomly around, and those that I did find were quite luxuriously pricey. However, for the houses with rooms for rent, there were a bunch. The majority of them only showed the living space by appointment only, and it was the middle of the day, so none of them were 'open'. The ones that I was lucky enough to find that were cheap and open publicly, were extremely run down. I sigh tiredly, sitting on a bench drinking a soda, waiting for a bus back to the Rose.

"Their prices sucked anyway." I grumble irritatedly. It's almost time for work, and it seems I've wasted a day in terms of searching. A pause. "I suddenly feel so poor." _An awfully lovely realization, if I may say so myself. _

Upon my arrival at the Rose, I quickly head to the locker room, which is pretty devoid of life. There are a lot of personal belongings scattered around, and I realize, another _lovely_ realization, that I am horribly late, by almost half an hour. _What's better? The place is totally packed, again._ Frantically, I change into the hostess' outfit and go to entertain one of the customers I notice that seems to be lacking a hostess. I plaster a friendly smile on my face.

"Hello there, thank you for waiting. I'm Shiroi." I walk toward a man who looks like some sort of important person with his silk black suit and sunglasses. _Or more like a bodyguard out of some __Hollywood movie._ "What may I get you, sir?"

"Your boss. _Now._" He says gruffly. _E-Ehh?!_ Attempting to look as calm as possible, I bow to hide my confused and worried face.

"Alright. If you'll just wait a moment." I turn quickly in search of the boss_._ _Why is she never here?! Isn't she supposed to be the boss. At least show up to work. Mou! _Instead, I only find Hayate-chan talking to Signum-san, who looks at me with that awfully teasing smirk as I near them.

"Well, well. Look who decided to show up for work. Finally." The pink haired bartender comments dryly, adding a bit too much emphasis on the last word. Hayate-chan turns around and gives me a pleasant smile.

"Oh. You're right. Nanoha-chan, what took you so long?" My brown haired friend motions for me to come over.

"Ah come on, give me a break. The bus was late." I answer while walking to them, and sit on one of the stools.

"A drink. You look exhausted." Signum comments, handing me a glass of water.

"I was searching in the suburbs for apartments and stuff." I take a gulp of the refreshing water.

"Oh yeah. I asked-"

"A-Anyway." I interrupt Hayate-chan, remembering the man in the suit. "There's a guy, over there." I point. "...who says he wants to meet the boss. He seems angry... or something."

"Black business suit? And sunglasses?" Hayate-chan questions, looking in the direction I pointed.

"Yeah."

"Oh, him. Yeah. We're supposed to ignore him." My friend says in the most serious tone possible.

"W-What? Ignore him?" _Isn't he a patron?_

"Apparently the boss doesn't like him much. Or his boss much." Signum states plainly. "Her way of nonviolent revenge, you could say."

"Are they business rivals?"

"R-Rival-hahaha. ha...ha. No, heh." Hayate-chan bursts out laughing, slapping the bar counter a couple times. "You know that big company I told you about? Well, she had a meeting with them about the VIP suites. They apparently came to some sort of compromise. She didn't quite tell me all the details yet, but it seems our boss still isn't happy about it." _Isn't she being a bit...childish?_

"Were the demands outrageous or something?"

"Something like that. I heard they wanted to have the whole place to themselves. There are only a couple of people that are the actual VIPs though. They just have a ton of bodyguards that accompany them, that we probably also have to entertain."

The rest of the day went without event. Every single hostess, I noticed, avoided the glaring business suit clad man like the plague. _Apparently the boss' word is the law._ After two or three hours of waiting, he got up and stormed out, releasing the built up tension in the room. I could basically feel everyone sighing in relief, myself included. Well, everyone didn't include Hayate-chan and Signum, both of whom seemed to be laughing at that man's expense.

When the time came for me to take my break, I quickly eat the provided dinner and search for Hayate-chan. After finding her still conversing with Signum, I head over and sit down next to her.

"Break?" Signum asks.

"Ah. Yeah." The pink-haired bartender glides smoothly behind the counter, refilling a couple drink for some of the guests and hostesses. "You know...no matter how I think about it, I get less customers than all the others..." I trail off in thought. _Yeah, and their breaks aren't as long as mine. _My friend looks at me curiously.

"Oh, that's because hostesses are usually twenty-one, or older. You're a bit on the young side, so someone your age isn't requested as much. Most of your patrons are people who could care less about age and just want a fun time." Hayate-chan explains. But it all seems so well crafted. Vague, and positive sounding.

Then, realization dawns.

_She really is something. Hayate-chan's always been good with words. That explains why all of my patrons are so agreeable. So basically I wouldn't have been hired as a hostess if it weren't for my friend, and I'm being handed all the 'safe' patrons. I'm being given privileges that the others don't have. I don't know if I'm totally disgusted or happy. There's a bit of both. But I know I feel spoiled and... useless._

_Yeah. _

_Absolutely useless._

_Again._

_o o o o o o_

And so, work ends. _It wasn't too bad. I had a couple more patrons, not even half as many as the others, but I'll try to ignore that. I get off an hour earlier than everyone else too, but I'm ignoring that as well. Everyone treated me quite well too, now that I think about it._ _Like a kid. Like I'm absolutely useless and unable to take care of myself. But, I'm not thinking about that. I'm ignoring that. _

My rage slowly builds as I change back into my clothes and try not to think about what I'm thinking about. _I can take care of myself perfectly. Why does no one think I can?! _I step outside and take a deep breath to try to calm myself. _I can totally take care of myself. I'm not...useless, I don't need to...burden others. _After a couple steps, I pause. _I-I. _My head lowers, and I shut my eyes quickly as I feel them watering. _I'm not weak. I'm not going to cry. _My hands wipe away the tears sliding down my cheeks. _I-I. I'm not-_

"Hey." I instinctively turn around and face that familiar voice. "I thought you'd walk to the bus-" Her slightly irritated voice halts as soon as she sees me. And she just stares. Silence. A gust of wind blows past, lifting her golden strands. My hands are partly trying to cover my face and partly trying to rub the tears away. _Get it together. Your boss is right in front of you._ But the tears don't stop, and my quiet sniffling seems to echo all around me. Other than that, silence. She continues to just give me this impartial stare. _I..._

"I." I say in between sniffling. She still looks at me blankly, I think. I'm not really looking at her, instead, I stare intently at the ground and take a long deep breath. "I'm _not_ crying." In my most assertive voice. "There's just something... in my eyes." Suddenly, I feel warm arms circle around my shoulder and waist and pull me into a comforting embrace.

"I know." The blond says plainly. And for some reason, I can't stop crying, even though I'm utterly embarrassed and I want to hide in a hole. _I barely know her and I'm crying all over her._ My hands grab tightly at her clothes, and my face buries into the crook of her neck. _She's a total stranger._ My mind screams at me.

And still, the tears just keep on falling.

...

..

.

At some point, I finally stop crying, and she loosens her arms a little, but still keeps me in a sort of embrace. A couple more minutes of silence, as I try to calm myself down.

"I just..." My voice cracks and my hands grip her tighter. "I'm..._not_ useless. I can take care of myself. Why doesn't anyone understand that?!" I almost scream, glaring at her, who just looks back at me with unreadable crimson eyes. My right hand curls into a fist and I slam it against her body, hard, but she doesn't seem to flinch in pain. At all. And somehow, that angers me, makes me feel weak. So I do it again, and again and again and again. Each time, I hear a loud 'thud'.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Thud. Thud.

I keep pounding my fist against her until I don't have any energy left over and my hand falls limply to my side. And still, she just gives me that neutral stare, with her arms placed lightly around me.

"I just. Hayate-chan. Hayate-chan is being so nice to me. She's helping me so much. Letting me live with her for the time being. Helping me at my job." A long pause as I take another deep breath. "I just... don't want to inconvenience the people I love. My family...my friends." My eyes look up at her pleadingly. _I don't know why. _There's a couple more minutes of silence, and she releases me. _But I feel comfortable talking with her._

"Finished? I have to escort you home. Let's go." She replies evenly and walks right passed me. My eyes blink a couple times, stunned, to put it lightly. _W-What?! S-She just. Argh!! _I turn to see her disappear behind a corner and trail angrily behind her. Afraid to lose her, I break out into a run, until she's in my line of vision again. My hands rest tiredly on my thighs as I heave for air, my eyes still looking at her receding form. _She's not waiting for me at all. Some escort._ After catching my breath, I start walking again so as not to lose sight of her again.

"You're an _asshole_, you know that, boss?" I yell at her back. My boss pauses and glances behind at me; she smirks.

"Oh ho. Really? Well, you were cutting into my sleep hours." Her voice is full of amusement.

"Sleep hours?! Is that what you were thinking about the whole time I was crying?!" I hiss furiously.

"You weren't crying." She ignores my question and says flatly.

"W-What?!" I say in a mixture of anger and confusion.

"There was something in your eye, right? Did you get it out?" The blonde replies with mock-concern. I blink. And then.

"Arghh!! I hate you!" I shout hotly.

"Glad to see we're on the same page at something." An amused chuckle.

We walk in silence for a couple minutes as I slowly inch my way closer to her until we're walking next to each other. I glance at her and see beautiful porcelain skin framed by silky golden hair. Her captivating wine red eyes shift their gaze on me.

"What?" My escort says irritatedly.

"Ah, umm." My face reddens at being caught staring. "I just... thought you were... weird." She looks at me oddly.

"Thank you. I think you're weird too." The blonde deadpans.

"Ah, I mean! I, uhh, just wanted to thank you for earlier. For... listening." I voice shyly, almost mumbling the last part. She doesn't respond, and silence surrounds us. We slowly turn another corner. _How long have we been walking?_ Curiously, I survey my surroundings. We still seem to be in the same general area, surrounded by karaoke bars, clubs, and cafes. The street lights dim glow gives a sort of ethereal, if not slightly unnerving, atmosphere to the whole place. _The houses don't seem...familiar at all. _My eyes narrow in confusion. _Was this the way to Hayate-chan's house?_

"Do you remember anything from the first time we met?" She says out-of-the-blue.

"Bits and pieces. Why?" She looks at me, and I can see in her eyes that she wants to ask me a question. My escort blinks and the questioning gaze is gone.

"No. It's nothing." After a minute-long pause, she speaks up again. "Do you like dogs?"

"W-What?" I stutter at the randomness of the question. She stares at me evenly.

"Dogs. Do. You. Like. Them?" My boss repeats slowly, irritation evident.

"I suppose?"

"You're not allergic to them?"

"No." My escort turns her head to the side and I swear I hear her say 'dammit.' We continue on our silent and relatively dull journey. Somehow, the scenery seems a bit different. There aren't as many clubs. The streets aren't as busy. And there seems to be more shrubbering and greenery everywhere. A planted in teh sidewalk every ten feet or so. Everything exudes the aura of peaceful.

"You know...about your apartment search? Hayate got one of her friends to...help out." The blonde begins the conversation again.

"What? Really?" My voice full of excitement.

"Ah. As expected, she doesn't tell you. Anything. At all." My boss grumbles angrily. "Yeah, she wants you to stay the night to see if you like it."

"So you're bringing me there now, boss?"

"Yeah." And yet again, a short conversation ends. A small breeze flutters past our figures, and I relish in the refreshing feel, closing my eyes in enjoyment. Listening carefully, if I ignore the sound of our feet, I can hear crickets chirping their lovely melody for all to hear. It's a pretty picturesque scene of a romantic night in a novel or movie. All that's missing is a confession from one to the other. _W-Wait, the only ones here are the boss and me._ My face heats up instantly at the thought of any sort of confession. _From her. No, that's impossible. There's no way she could be romantic at all. She'd probably stutter. _I laugh quietly to myself.

We're here." _Eh?_ I glance around quickly, noticing that we're in front of a house. She walks up a couple of steps and takes out a set of keys to unlock the door. Opening the door, she steps in. "I'm home!" The blond calls enthusiastically. Suddenly, she turns around, facing me, and blocks my path into the house. "Fate."

"What?" I look up at her questioningly.

"My name. It's been bugging me for a while. You kept on calling me 'boss'. So you don't get to enter until you call me 'Fate'."

"...Fate...-chan."

"Alright. Welcome to my home, Takamachi-san." _I'm living with her?! _Fate gestures me inside, where I'm assaulted by a puppy with redish-brown fur.

"Arf. Arf." It barks energetically, prancing up and down.

"Oh, this is Arf; she's my dog." She smiles while picking up the puppy, which licks her face happily.

_o o o o o o_

I sit in the decently sized living room, playing with Arf. _How can she be so energetic this earlier in the morning? It's like...three. _Fate-chan went and took a shower once she came in, so I'm passing the time until she finishes. After a while, she comes out of the bathroom wearing a grey tank top and black shorts, both of which cling to her nicely shaped figure. _Ack. Don't think about that!_

"You should probably take a shower as well." She dries her hair with a towel.

"I don't have any of my clothes."

"Borrow mine. You look like the type that wears pajamas..." She mumbles while shuffling through her drawers and hands me undergarments and a surprisingly cute peach colored pajama set patterned with all types of cartoon-like dogs.

After taking a quick refreshing shower and dressing and blushing at wearing her clothes, I walk back into the living room, smirking when I see Fate.

"What?" She looks at me oddly.

"I just didn't take you as the type to have this type of clothing, Fate-chan." I mock-examine the pajamas I'm wearing, and she grumbles a 'shut up'.

"You can sleep in the guest room. It's right over there." She points towards a room and shuffles off tiredly to her room while placing Arf in her dog bed.

"Night!" _This isn't so bad. _I call out to her. In return, she shuts the door to her room. A sigh. "This might take some getting used to." With a yawn, I exhaustedly climb onto the bed, sliding into the covers. As I drift off to sleep, one final thought lingers hazily in my mind.

_But, I really don't mind. Trying this._

_o o o o o o_

**edit: **fixed up/detailed some stuff. thanks for all the advice. hopefully it sounds better now. i think it reads smoother.

**a/n: **that was err...hard to write. And I don't think I proofread it enough. I'll do that later if there are a ton of mistakes. Hope it doesn't seem to...awkwardly unflow-y-like. It seems fate-chan was sorely missed last chapter. According to the 7/10 reviews that had an 'aww no fate' or something on that order. Hope this one made you guys happy. And, I was wondering...what do you guys think about my pacing? Too slow...too fast (err...i doubt it).

**ToumaSan:** Oh dear, oh dear. Cake with cookies totally made me start writing out this chapter. And you were right about fate-chan. :D

**V.Gatou:** thanks. Ah, you're right. I reread the chapters and they are a bit confusing. I actually can't tell when to put italics and when not to because Nanoha is narrating everything, so in a sense everything is her opinion...if that makes sense. Well, anyway, I tried to differentiate it more and hopefully this one is a bit...better? Hopefully. A big hopefully. Haha. Cookies and milk! They definitely helped. And you were right as well about fate. :D

**Enraptured:** haha. Thanks. yes, fate-chan ftw! XD

**Dopecar:** I am back in my room. All is right with the world. Or my world. Lol

_sigh _you people and your guessing. You make me itch to reply...but alas. I must restrain myself. And, err, do you guys feel horrible if I don't reply to each comment? I kind of do...but I definitely do read each comment and it makes me happy to get any sort of feedback or praise. But thank you all, again, for all of your lovely reviews.


	5. Day 5 Friday

A groan escapes my lips. _Somehow, this seems way too early to be eight in the morning._ As I rub the sleep from my eyes, I open them slowly, staring blankly at the ceiling, registering my surroundings. A faint J-pop melody seeps uninvited into my room through the door.

A sigh.

_The joys of being a light sleeper._

Getting out of bed, I hear a faint scratching against the door. Then a long pitiful whine.

"Arf." I say softly. A light gleeful bark of confirmation muffled by the door.

Opening said door, my eyes fall to the little red-furred puppy looking up at me, tail wagging and everything.

"Are you hungry?" Voice softer. A small smile forms on my lips. Slowly, I lower my body into a squat and ruffle her head lovingly. She waits until I finish petting her, then runs behind me, nudging me forward.

"Arf? What is it?" As I stand, she scampers ahead of me, waiting for me to follow when I don't move. She barks. "Okay, okay, I'm coming." Trailing slightly behind the energetic pup, I notice the sound of that melody getting louder and louder by the second.

Upon my arrival at the living room, Arf is jumping up and down next to a table, where said melody is blaring from, horribly loud, I might add. Or a cell phone on said table. A pink one. _Definitely_ not mine. I flip open the phone, and its screen says, 'Morning alarm. Enter password to deactivate.'

...

The music is blaring...on repeat.

...

"Takamachi." I read the inscription on the back of the phone.

...

My digital watch reads 6:47.

"Good job, Arf." A pat. "Now come, we're going to return it." Gentle, soft voice laced with irritation and anger. I turn around and head for the guest room. "And you're helping." My hand reaches for the knob and opens the door quietly while the other muffles the speakers on the cellphone. Arf stands next to me, looking curiously into the room and then at me. On the bed there's a lump, totally covered by blankets. I look at Arf intently.

"Ready?" She wags her tail in response.

I chuck the phone at the lump, aiming for the top. Music erupts loudly from the phone as it sails through the room.

Pak! _That sounded like her head. _Quickly, I point at the waking girl.

"Go, Arf. Say 'good morning'." My puppy sprints into the room and vaults herself onto the bed. I quickly close the door, locking it, leaning against it, and waiting for what's to come.

"**O-Oww! What the-AGHHH?!" The ruffling of sheets.**

**Crash**

**Thud**

**Silence**

"**BOSS!"**

"Come on! Let me out!" I pound tiredly against the door. _How long have I been in here? More importantly, what is _wrong_ with her?! _My hands fumble with my cellphone; it reads 8:31 AM. "You have _got_ to be kidding me! I've been in here for almost two hours! Let me _out_!!" My eyes search for something, _anything_, that'll help me get out, and they land on Arf. The adorable red furball. _Of course. _"Ahh!! Heyy, Arf! Fate? Fate! I think Arf needs to go outside. Now!" I scream out with as much fervor as I can muster, pounding furiously on the door. And I am greeted by...

Silence. Absolute silence.

Arf yawns sleepily, glancing at me uninterestedly. Heaving a sigh, I slump down on the floor.

"I give up."

_o o o o o o_

"Hey. Sleepyhead." A soft tone of familiarity. Someone places their hand on my shoulder and gives a violent jerk. My eyes open slowly to a ruby red pair staring straight back at me.

"F-Fate...?" is the first word that comes to mind. _Pathetic, Nanoha. Real nice._ The blond looks at me strangely before standing up from her kneeling position.

"So. What have you learned?" Her face now out of view, my eyes trail up her model-like figure to meet those captivating pools of crimson.

"I hate you. Go to hell." My frustration and anger catch up to me and I blurt the first thing that enters my mind. We stare at each other for a couple seconds. She gives a breathtaking smile; emotions and thoughts swirl in her seas of wine red. Before I can begin to even decipher her thoughts, Fate turns around.

"Alright, see you in a couple hours." She reaches the door and-_Oh shit. Not again._ My legs raise me into an almost standing position and before I can process much, my body is already launching itself towards the door, arms outstretched to stop it from closing. Luckily, I catch the blond off guard, and she stumbles backwards when she turns to see me suddenly running in her direction. Unluckily, _or luckily __as I am able to stop her from closing the door, _as I extend my legs forward, they somehow intertwine with hers, and we collide quite forcefully, even as I try to stop, and fall.

Thump.

A groan.

_Oww...? That wasn't as painful as I thought It'd be._ My arms extend and push my upper body off the ground. As I slowly drag my right knee on the ground up towards my abdomen so I can get my footing, I brush against something warm. And not mine. I freeze. _Shit._ My eyes open, hoping, wishing, to see Arf scurrying across the floor. But, of course, that is not the case.

Instead.

I am on top of _her._ Fate, back facing the floor, is propped up on her elbows; deep crimson eyes gazing directly at my lavender ones. And I know, without glancing down that my knee is between her legs and hers is between mine. _Great. _Our faces are inches apart, and I can feel her breath coming out in puffs against my skin. I blink. My cheeks start to color slightly at the...proximity. A strand of my hair unceremoniously glides down the front of my face, tips brushing against her fair skin, and I notice that her face doesn't seem quite as porcelain pale as usual.

Silence.

_Do something. Anything._ My mind commands, but my body refuses to budge, at all. The magic bind in her eyes holds me in place. Amethyst and ruby stare at each other for what seems an eternity.

And then I realize. The emotions swimming in her eyes; I understand them. Surprise. Her eyes widen slightly. Slowly it changes to impatience as her eyes narrow. _Or anger._ Every once in a while, embarrassment flickers across crimson. But disappears just as quickly, so I may be imagining it.

"As much as I love this position." Fate speaks up first, every word laced with irritation and dripping with sarcasm. "I will kindly ask you to _get off_." A glare, and the spell is broken.

"Don't lock the door!" My voice forceful. I barely hold back my raging voice. The thought of being locked up in a room, feeling like a prisoner, weak. My head moves forward to emphasize my resolve. Realizing our faces are almost touching, my cheeks become beet red. _But if I back down, she might say no. _So I resolve to just stay in this position until she says yes. She doesn't even flinch at the closeness of our lips.

"Get. Off. _Now_." The normal softness is gone, but I don't budge. _Even now, she still has an air of elegance about her._

"Say 'yes'." I command boldly.

"Takamachi-san." Fate counters icily, her voice drips dangerously low. It's almost as if the atmosphered suddenly dropped a couple degrees.

"I won't move until you-" My boss shoves me viciously off to the side. "Oof. Hey!" I bark back.

"Honestly." She mutters to herself as she stalks out of the room, but doesn't lock, or even close, the door.

A small smile, unknowingly, graces my features.

_o o o o o o_

"Ah, umm, Fate-chan." I fidget slightly, shuffling embarrassedly towards the blond, who is sitting at the breakfast table in her kitchen sipping coffee and reading the newspaper.

"Hungry?" She doesn't even turn to face me.

"Well-" I'm cut off.

"There's stuff on the table. Fix it up yourself."

"Actually." _Don't cut me off! _My eyes glare angrily at her. "I wanted to know how to get to Hayate-chan's house." She finally turns to look at me; we gaze at each other evenly. I give in, speaking first. "Clothes. My stuff is all there. I can't umm, walk around in pajamas all day." Fate turns back to her paper.

"I'll take you there after you eat." Examining what's on the table: a bagel and some sort of vegetable spread, I grab the bagel. As I'm slowly cutting it open, "I'm not going to let you live here for free, you know." My boss states, seemingly out of nowhere. I jump a bit and flinch slightly when pain invades my senses.

The cut isn't deep, but it draws a bit of blood that trickles down my finger as I examine it. When I don't reply, she looks up from her paper. I can just imagine her eyes narrowing in irritation.

"What are you doing? Stop staring at it, and go rinse it at the sink." A nod, and I walk toward the nearest sink, letting the stream of water clean my wound. After a couple seconds, the cut seems to have sealed up, and I turn off the water. Satisfied, I walk back towards my half-prepared meal, picking up the knife.

"There are band aids in the bathroom." Fate takes the knife out of my hand.

"I don't need one." She proceeds to wash the knife, finish slicing the bagel, and put some spread on both slices. Any attempts I make to either grab the knife or bagel are all in vain. "H-Hey, I can do that myself!" After a bit of struggling, my boss hands me the bagel. She gives me an amused half-smile. And somehow it seems so different from all the ones I've seen. _It doesn't seem as forced. Or gentler. _The smile I thought was utterly breathtaking when she first escorted me doesn't even compare. _I want to see her smiles. All of them._

_I want her to smile more._

_For me. Because of me. W-Wait..._

"Indeed. You're quite capable, as you've shown me over and over again." My cheeks puff out in a pout as I take the offered bagel and sit down next to her. A pause.

"Wait. So you want me to pay you?" She chuckles.

"I wish. But obviously, you can't possibly afford to live here even with what little money you have." Her condescending tone causes me to growl. As if she doesn't notice, she continues. "So, to live here, you have to meet my conditions."

"Which are?"

"I'm not going to pay you."

"What?"

"You work at the Rose. In exchange, I let you live here."

"But I need money for other necessities." A whine. _I'm going to run out._ The blond ponders for a bit.

"Fine, I'll feed you too. When I remember, anyway. So your money should be able to last you 'til the end of summer if not longer." I give a pathetic look. A sigh. "You can also keep the tips you get from customers. I'll just take your paychecks. _Happy_?" Her voice drips with venom. _I suppose that's the best I can get._

"Very." I smile. J_ust to get on her nerves._

"You can't bring anyone here without my permission."

"W-What?!"

"And if I hear that cellphone of yours ever again. I'm kicking you out."

"No way..." I sulk; she smirks.

The rest of the meal was void of conversation. I chewed slowly on my bagel while Fate read and flipped through the newspaper.

_o o o o o o_

Again, Fate allowed me to borrow some clothes, and again I didn't get to choose. So I was given a black and yellow patterened sports jacket and a pair of similarly patterened shorts. It was comfortable, but the size was a bit...big. _I can't wait to get back into my own clothes._ _Her stuff makes me self conscious. _My hand trails up towards my chest, when she let me borrow one of her bras. _And found out she was a cup larger. _

Fate lifts her hand and gives three steady knocks against a door. After a bit of shuffling, the door opens.

"Nanoha-chan! Fate-chan! Come in, come in." Hayate-chan is as lively as usual. "Have you eaten yet? I was just preparing breakfast." My friend, adorn with an apron, resumes cutting up some fruits.

"We're fine. Just here to pick up her stuff." The blond answers quickly. "Are these yours?" She turns her attention to me, pointing at two boxes.

"Ah, yeah." My boss lifts one of the boxes and starts heading towards the door.

"Hey, wait! Fate-chan!" Quickly, I grab the last box. "Sorry for just suddenly barging in like this. I'll see you at work." An apologetic smile. I trail behind Fate, who is obviously not waiting for me. At all.

"You two seem to be getting along." Hayate-chan says slyly, timing it so that I can hear her but can't necessarily reply unless I yell, which Fate would be able to hear. And somehow, that thought bothers me, so I silently trail after my boss, face tinted pink. After a bit of jogging, we walk side-by-side.

"Thanks." My voice shy. In actuality, want to bite back at her, for not waiting, for being rude, but I decide against it. _She _is_ helping me, so I need to show my gratitude. _Of course, she ignores me and continues walking.

_I really don't see how this is going to work, living with her. We barely get along, we can't exactly say we 'know' each other. At best, we're acquaintances, not even close to friends. We don't exactly talk much. Well, from the conversations I've had with her, we both end up irritating each other._

_And on top of all of that, she's my boss, so that complicates what would've just been a normal 'dorm mate' scenario. Potentially Fate-chan can kick me out if she so wishes it, and that would have a double meaning; I'd also be fired from my job._

_Really though, the main problem is that I don't understand her. I mean, I can expect that she will be mean, cruel, and a pain in the ass. It's the random moments when she suddenly becomes nice and understanding. That is the most confusing part. As quickly as those moments come, they disappear once she says something sarcastic. She can just totally ruin the mood with anything she says. She's just so absolutely contradicting._

So deep in thought, when Fate turns to cross the street, I don't notice and turn the corner in the totally opposite direction. Similarly, I don't notice the other person walking towards me and collide. I bump into something, my box shielding me from most of the impact. Luckily, nothing falls out, and I steady myself. As my eyes trail up, I notice silky golden strands tied up in a ponytail.

"Fate..." Without thinking, that's the first word I mumble. Amethyst eyes search eagerly for the captivating ruby ones. Instead, they're curious emerald ones. _Green?_

"Really, fate?" A charming smile that takes my breath away. A soft voice. So very very similar yet somehow it seems totally _wrong. _It's not the voice I'm expecting, but in it's own way, enchanting. The tone is low. _Lower. _A blink.

Another blink.

_I-I-It's a guy!_

"Uhh, ahh, sorry. I'm very sorry." A couple of frantic bows. He chuckles lightly.

"Apology accepted. Although it's not entirely your fault. I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking." He answers elegantly. _Yet so very different. He's so much..._ "So you have my apologies as well." _more..._ "So I think we're quite even, don't you?" _Sweeter, kinder, nicer._

"Ahh, I suppose..." My response is a lot softer than I thought it would be. He seems to have noticed.

"Of course, if you still feel guilty, how about you let me buy you a coffee." Blunt. _W-What?! That was a total pick up line._

"Sorry, I'm a bit busy." I lift my box slightly to emphasize myself. "So, uhh, thanks for the offer, but no thanks." _Maybe next time, _I almost say, but stop myself. Turning around quickly, I follow after the receding figure of my boss. _Really blunt too...but so very very different._

_o o o o o o_

_Fate left soon afterwards saying that she had business to attend to, but I got the feeling she didn't want to be around me anymore. At the time I had thought, good riddance, I can finally get some peace and quiet. But now the house feels so empty, maybe just having her present, even if we don't talk, comforts me. And I can't say I don't like her. Company. _

_I don't mind her company. I mean. _

_So I unpacked my boxes. It didn't take very long. The guest room has a table, drawers, and even its own bathroom. Sort of anyway. I don't have to share because there are two full baths. After sorting all of my stuff, I took a nap, considering that I only got about five hours of sleep prior._

The rest of the afternoon was uneventful and passed by quickly, and after my blissful nap, I grabbed a jacket and walked to work, arriving early this time. Sort of in compensation for being late yesterday. I change outfits quickly and idle at the bar. I really just want work to end; there's this slight nagging feeling that something good will happen afterwards. A tired sigh.

"Why the sigh? We haven't even started yet." A familiar pat on my head.

"That's exactly why. The day seems so slow." I rest my head against the cool glass counter. "I want work to be over." A whine.

"Oh? You sound like you have a date afterwards." the pink-haired bartender replies lightly.

"A date?" Another too familiar voice. My brown haired friend sits down next to me.

"Well, doesn't she look lovesick?" Signum asks Hayate.

"H-Hey! Don't make up stuff." I counter hotly, my face burning red. Hayate-chan studies me intently.

"So, what's the story? Who'd you meet?" She asks.

"I didn't meet anyone." A pause. _Oh, yeah, I did. _"Well, actually there was this guy that asked to buy coffee for me. But I _don't_ like him, so-"

"What did he look like?" My friend's eyes glint excitedly. _I guess I'll play along._

"He had really beautiful hair. Long silky blond. A bit taller than me and had a soft, low-ish kind of voice-" She cuts me off again.

"You know. You sound like you're describing Fate-chan." A casual comment.

"I-I'm not!" A violent stutter. "I said he. _He._ And he had green eyes and was much nicer than Fate." I add quickly to show that there are differences.

"Right." Hayate-chan says sarcastically. Signum-san laughs while listening in on the conversation.

I spend the rest of my free time before The Rose's opening trying to convince both Hayate-chan and Signum that I was _not_ describing our boss. It didn't help much that I didn't know the guy's name and I was blushing furiously. So in the end, they just laughed at my expense. Saying that the whole thing was frustrating... is a major understatement.

Actually, when I started entertaining patrons, I just did my best to ignore their extremely irritating smiles, and never idled too long so that they'd bring up the topic again. What's worse was that with each patron, I started comparing them with both unknown guy and Fate. And I began to notice just how similar the two of them were to each other. There was a slight difference that I couldn't exactly pinpoint. They both had a way of commanding attention, a regal air about them. Both smooth talkers, but different. They also looked similar if one didn't squint too much at the details. _So what was so different?_

And so while I worked, that one question kept bothering me. _How could they be so absolutely opposite if they had so many similarities?_ Then it hit me. _Fate. She was so fake. Though that might be a bit harsh of a word. But, there was a sense of insincerity in her 'kindness' towards me. Because her actions contradicted each other so much. As if she can't decide how to treat me so she puts up different fronts._

With the arrival of my break, I seat myself at the bar again. _All this thinking is really tiring me out._

"Thinking about that 'guy' you met?" Hayate-chan's voice whispers from behind me. She sits up on the counter before Signum pushes her off, giving her a stern look, so she ends up just leaning her body on my seated one, her head resting on mine.

"I told you. They're two different people!" Exasperation. My friend sighs.

"Okay, okay. They're different people." A pause. "So, who do you like?"

"W-What?!"

"Well, I don't know if you notice it or not, but you still have that expression on your face. Maybe it's not love sickness, more like you're heartbroken. As if the one you like refuses to see you or something. So which one? They're the only two new people you've met, so it has to be one of them." Hayate-chan's playful voice has a hint of concern and seriousness.

"I. I don't know. Which one. Which one I like. They're both...they both have their own appeal." I try weakly. _I can't...I like both of them. Somewhat._

"Then. Which one do you like. _More._" Barely above a whisper so that only I can hear her. _More?_

_o o o o o o_

After pondering long and hard, I couldn't decide. _Which did I like more? It's not as if I knew either of them well enough to just say 'I like him!' or 'I like her!' Plus, I've never gone out with anyone. So romance is a bit new to me._ T_hey both appeal differently to me. In terms of first impressions. Well, that only applies to the guy since Fate gave a horrible first impression. I don't even know why she seems so captivating to me. Maybe it's just that she's a very pretty girl. Other than that. How do I decide?_

Before I realize it, work is over. I don't even remember much, _it's as if I was on auto-pilot or something._ After changing to my usual outfit, I head outside. The midnight breeze chills me thoroughly, and I quickly wear my jacket, zipping it up. Stretching, I sigh in contently before scanning the area for Fate. _Is she going to come? _After a couple minutes, I hear the soft thud of footsteps behind me and turn around.

Fate is wearing a long black parka, hands tucked in the pockets, and her jeans are slightly visible underneath. Her crimson eyes look at me curiously, and I follow her gaze down to my...jacket? _No, her jacket. The one I borrowed. I must have grabbed it without thinking._

"Ah, I was going to return this." A quick reply. My cheeks flush, and my hands begin unzipping the jacket, but she stops me, placing a hand over mine.

"I'm already wearing one, so hold onto it for me." Fate answers smoothly. "Let's go." Her warmth disappears as she walks ahead. My lips curve into a wide smile, and I scratch my cheek lightly with my index finger.

I jog a bit to catch up with her but trip over something and stumble towards the blond, bumping into her back with a small thud. As I grab her left arm to steady myself, I feel her flinch slightly in surprise. _I'm about a head shorter._ While i gaze up, her eyes meet mine, our faces inches apart. And I tighten my grip on her arm partly out of nervousness.

"Uhh. I, umm, tripped." An apologetic smile as warmth seeps into my face.

"_What_ a surprise." Each word is bathed in sarcasm. Fate wrenches her hand free of my hold and continues walking. I stare, dumbfounded, for a couple seconds before catching up with her again and peeking a quick glance. _She totally destroyed the mood. Again._

_But..._

_I suppose, I don't dislike that part of her._

_o o o o o o_

**a/n: **oh gawd. I used the generic main character falling on top of other character scenario. Kill me now. Anyhow, this was quite fun to write. I really do love Nanoha even though I torture her so much in this story. But she's supposed to be quite able. Independent. Obviously I suck at portraying that.

Didn't proofread it enough. Fix it later if I find a ton of errors.

sorry, kinda slow in writing this. Summer is coming to a close, and I felt as if life, metaphorically, caught up to me and then proceeded to backhand me. Or something like that. So I've been quite preoccupied. Finished Will in the World (summer reading). In two days. Gahh, my brain. Then I needed time to recuperate. And then I realized I needed to do college apps as well. So wasting away my last week of summer being productive...to some extent. Oh, yeah, watching the olympics, too. Reading webcomics as well. Oh, how I miss the world of webcomics. TAT

**ToumaSan**: haha, lots and lots of chances. 10 bags :D i'll be sure to brush tonssss.  
**dopecar**: no, no. thanks. it's much appreciated.  
**V**: 'proceeded to rip off each others clothes' LOL if only. if only. and thanks for suggestions.  
**handlewithcare**: haha, yeah it was kind of rushed. i was working that week and just didn't spend as much time on it. :D thanks.

and thanks for all the reviews by everyone. i'll try to update weekly...ish but well with school, if i can't, i can't. and you guys will just have to suffer a bit more. sorry. in the meantime, you guys can all have some err. uhh. cookies. lol? :D i would say art, but i haven't drawn any fate/nano yet.


	6. Day 6 Saturday

Darkness. Calm and soothing. Comforting.

I open my eyes and am greeted by a mixture of different colored blurs. Slowly, my visions clears, and I find myself in an eerily empty room. My eyes scan the area warily.

_Totally empty. _

The grand window wall allows the moonlight to stream through, giving the whole room a refined taste. Or elegant. Romantic, in a sense.

_Where am I?_

_And..._

_Why do I feel so relaxed?_

For some reason, I'm laying on a bed. The sheets feel silky between my fingers, and upon closer inspection, the bed seems to be decorated by an array of royal blues. _This is definitely not where I fell asleep._ Glancing up at the unusually intricate designs on the ceiling, I will my arms to grip the sheets and push myself up into a sitting position.

_This is way too weird._

_I need to get out of here._

_Now, where's the door?_

As I push myself forward, slowly sliding off the bed, strong pale arms suddenly weave under my arms, pulling me back a bit roughly, but gently settling me against something warm. My body stiffens reflexively, as I feel someone's even breathing next to my left ear. Turning my head quickly, I see beautiful golden strands and clear emerald eyes. _W-Wha...what's going on? _As I struggle to distance myself, his hold on me tightens.

"Nanoha." His clear low voice, gentle and loving, whispers into my ear, causing me to shudder involuntarily. _Get a hold of yourself! Something is definitely wrong._

_Something is really..._

_off._

_L-Let go, P-Please!_ I scream... but no outburst comes from my lips. Instead, my thoughts remain just that, my thoughts. _What the hell?! Why am I-_

My panicking is cut off as I feel something warm trail up my legs, slowly reaching my thighs. Something that feels suspiciously like fingers. _E-Ehh?!_

I tear my gaze from the emerald pair and am met by ruby ones. _What?! She _was not_ there a second ago!! _Her hands trail past my thighs and up to my waist, resting there comfortably; her piercing gaze never leaving my eyes. Ever so slowly, her face inches closer and closer to mine. She stops, hovering centimeters away.

"Nanoha." Her soft and slightly higher voice, gentle and loving. _But so very very wrong. _My stomach flutters regardless of my thoughts.

As she lowers her head, her lips lightly graze my neck, as his do the same to my nape. A jolt of electricity courses through my body. Their husky breaths come out steadily against my skin.

_S-Stop it. _My mind clouds, unable to focus.

_Please._ I beg weakly. I can barely breathe; it's as if I'm suffocating.

Surprisingly, they do stop, but the smothering atmosphere does not lift. The one in front of me raises her head and our eyes meet again. _I can't..._

Their voices,

_Breathe._

in unison.

**Which of us do you like? **

**More.**

My eyes snap open, and I quickly take in a huge gulp of air. _Oh. _My hands trail up to my neck, where one cups the back while the other's digits stroke a small area in the front. _My. _I drop my hands and bury my face in the nearest pillow. _God. _

"W-What the hell was _that_?!" I shriek into said pillow, pushing it roughly against my face to try to muffle my voice. After a couple frustrated screams, I roll onto my back, placing my left hand on my forehead. I can tell without feeling my pulse that my heart is beating quite quickly. Images of my dream replay over and over in my head. Emerald and ruby colored eyes, golden hair, their soft touches, and their kiss-

_Fucking hell. _

"Deep breaths. I need to breathe...for a sec." _It was just a dream. Just a coincidence they were in it. _My eyes trail up the wall and gaze blankly at the ceiling. _It doesn't... mean anything._

"Which... do I like more-Argh! I am _not_ choosing." My voice full with as much finality as I can muster. "As if I could, anyway." I rub my head irritatedly. "This is stupid. What was I thinking?! I just met both of them. One I'll probably never meet again, and the other is just utterly irritating."_ Not to mention, a girl._ Sitting up slowly, I rub the sleep from my eyes.

"There is no _which_. I reject both of them. Now, _stop_ thinking about this."_It's all because of Hayate-chan that- _A slow sigh. _Stop. I don't want to think about it. _My eyes shift their gaze to the door.

_Even if... I don't want to think about it._

"I don't think I could survive looking at her face. Not right now, anyway."

I slide out of my room quietly with a change of clothes in hand. _If I go take a shower, Fate-chan might leave, and then I can avoid her for most of the day. _

_o o o o o o_

I had miraculously gone undetected by my boss, who was already up, reading the newspaper in the kitchen. Well, my plan was ridiculously simple, but it seems that the gods had no intention of letting me be Fate-free that entire morning.

After a quick refreshing shower, I dressed up in my usual tank top and jeans. But, as soon as I was about to turn the corner back to my room, _she_ came at me, dashing straight across the kitchen. Arf hovered around me and gave a couple of lively barks that most certainly got her owner's attention because Fate looked in my direction. A nervous smile appeared on my face. _Shit. I have to act normal._

"Ah. M-Morning, ...Fate-chan. Arf." I say while squatting to pat the pup. The blond turns back to her paper. Ignoring me, again. _Not that I'm complaining. _So I ignore her. "Arf." My voice comes out in a soft whine. "You ruined my plan."

The red-furred pup wags her tail and barks in reply.

"I'm not complimenting you." I scold lightly and tap her nose gently with my index finger. In response, she nips playfully at me, and so our little fun fest of activity begins. As she rolls onto her stomach, I give a stomach rub, and I notice her fur runs smoothly through my finger. _She's really well taken care of. _I quietly admire how healthy Arf is, from her fine toned muscles to her glossy coat of fur.

"You have today off." The comment takes me by surprise, and I just look up at Fate's sitting form. After a while of silence, she glances in my direction, giving me an even stare. My eyes reflexively focus on her eyes and then trail down to her...lips. _Ack. No, stop._

"I. Uh. I, umm. Thanks?" A pathetic stutter, and she returns her attention to the newspaper.

"Employees have Saturdays and Sundays off, normally; they can come in on Sunday if they want an extra day's pay. But your situation is a bit different."

"So, I have no choice."

"Glad you understand." A sigh. _At least I can talk normally now. _I walk into the kitchen and sit down across from my boss at the breakfast table. A bowl of fruit and a piece of toast have already been prepared, along with a variety of spreads. After choosing an interesting jam that I've never tried, I spread it slowly over the bread and take a bite. A content smile graces my features at the combination of fresh toast with a sweet and tangy jam.

A comfortable silence reigns over us. The atmosphere is almost picturesque, in a way. Birds chirp excitedly outside, and the morning sunlight glides through the windows flooding the whole house with a warm light. Arf is walking around the kitchen, finding a place to settle down and take a nap. Honestly, sometimes that dog doesn't even act like a puppy. It's as if she knows when to be energetic and when not to. The rustling of the newspaper as Fate flips through pages is strangely soothing as well. And we aren't arguing. _Or talking._ A strangely normal and peaceful morning.

"I had this really weird dream." Somehow, my mouth thought it was appropriate to voice something that was clawing at the back of my mind. _Oh, shit. _Her eyes flicker in my direction curiously but return shortly after to her paper.

"And?" The blond continues my sentence, as if knowing that I wanted to say more.

"Do you have any siblings? There was someone that looked like you. Like a twin. Or something." I try to cover up as quickly and smoothly as possible. My boss visibly flinches. Maybe out of surprise.

"No." Her voice is firm. She folds the paper and places it on the table. One of her hands reaches across the table and grabs a blueberry from my bowl, popping it into her mouth, chewing slowly. "You?" Her face slides into her palm, arm propped up on the elbow, and eyes on me.

"Oh, I have an older brother and sister." A fondness in my voice.

"Mmm." Her lips stretch into a lazy smile.

"What?" My eyes narrow.

"You seemed like the 'youngest child' type."

"And how's that?" My voice a bit suspicious. Fate's burgundy eyes glimmer mischievously as her smile widens.

"Arf, want to go for a walk?" She lifts herself off her seat and heads for the front door. The red-furred puppy pounces up and happily trails after her mistress. "Clean up when you're done." _W-Wha-_

"H-Hey! Wait, Fate-chan, at least answer my question!"

_o o o o o o_

I don't quite understand it myself. Somehow I ended up following the person I wanted to avoid the most. She'd left the house a couple minutes after totally ignoring my question, and in those minutes, I quickly finished up my bowl of fruits. Afterwards, I considered cleaning the table but had no idea where she put what, so I dashed out the door, hoping to find Fate not too far away. She was sitting at the top of the steps petting Arf, and once she noticed me, told me to get ready.

But I suppose I can't really do much about it now, considering I have no idea how to get back to her house. A soft sigh. _I'm hopeless._

"Umm. Fate-chan?" I say with her back facing me. She's taller than me, so her walking strides are a bit longer, making it a bit difficult for me to walk normally and keep up with her pace. _It's really very tiring. I wish she's slow down a bit._ And as usual, she doesn't reply, but I'm used to that now, so I just continue talking. "Where are we going?"

No answer. _God, stop being difficult! _I jog up next to her and pull slightly on her blouse sleeve.

"Fate-chan..." My voice begs. She slows down and gives me an annoyed expression. My boss then motions at a department store about two blocks away.

"I need to get some stuff for Arf. You can just look around for a jacket or something." The blond mutters the last part.

"What?" My lips slowly stretch into a teasing smirk. _Is she being considerate?_

"Go find a jacket. One of yours was ruined, right?" My mind trails back to the jumbled flashbacks of that night.

"Um. Yeah, I suppose-" _Well, I can sew up the buttons..._

"And I don't plan on letting you keep mine."_Oh. So that's it. She's possessive about her things._

Upon entering, we go our separate ways: I to jackets and Fate to pet supplies. Well, I'm supposed to go to jackets, but instead, I wander around. _It's not as if I brought a ton of money with me anyway. At least not enough to buy a jacket here._ And so, my legs carry me towards another section that seems to hold my interest: the stuffed animal section. After browsing leisurely through a variety of different animals adorn with fancy designs, my eyes catch a very simple brown teddy bear. _Isn't this a bit out of place? I mean, it's cute, but..._ I pick it up and pat its head gently.

"Hey, little guy. How much are you?" I fumble with the price tag.

"What are you doing?" An oh-so-familiar irritated voice, behind me. I spin around quickly, and see my boss standing with a hand on her hip and a bag in the other. _Oh, crap. How long was I here?_

"Eh. I. Umm. I was just...browsing." I smile nervously.

"_Right._ Have you even looked at the jackets yet?" Her eyes narrow slightly.

"Er. No..?" My voice squeaks out meekly. Fate sighs exasperatedly.

"Well then, what are you looking at?" Fate walks next to me as I bring my hands up to show the bear.

"Nyahaha. I just thought it was funny that they had such a plain bear here. Most of the others have a ton of accessories." She gives me an odd look and then proceeds to grab the bear out of my hands.

"Okay, lets go." My blond boss walks towards what I presume to be the jacket section.

"Ah. W-Wait!"

_o o o o o o_

_What am I supposed to do?_ My hands sift through a couple long jackets, idly noting the prices. _Nope, way too expensive. _A sigh escapes my lips. _I really don't need a jacket._ I peer over at Fate, who's playing with Arf. _But, she thinks I'm going to buy one._ My eyes catch something familiar: a black parka. Without thinking, I lift it off the rack, and Fate seems to have noticed my action.

"Finished choosing?" She stands, looking at the parka curiously.

"I, uhh." My eyes trail down to the ground. "I don't have that much money on me right now." Suddenly, the jacket I was holding is taken from me, and I hear a click as my boss puts it back on the rack. _Great, I wasted her time._ "Umm, sorry-" I lift my eyes slowly, and notice another parka in front of me.

"I think white looks better on you. Here, try it on." Fate hands it to me, and I quietly comply. _Is she trying to make me feel guilty?_ "Do you like it?" Her voice sounds unusually sweet. _'Cause it's working._ I nod slowly, not trusting my voice to keep my emotions at bay, and slide the jacket off, handing it back to the blond.

"Nanoha-chan? Fate-chan?" A voice that can only belong to one person. We both turn to meet-

"Hayate-chan!" I greet my friend happily with a hug. _Save me!_

"What are you two doing here?" An unhealthy amount of curiosity exudes from her.

"Shopping." Fate answers simply.

"Oh. W-Wait! _You're_ actually taking someone shopping?" My brown-haired friend points a finger at Fate, almost accusingly, who in turn just glares at Hayate-chan.

"W-Well, it was mainly because Arf needed some things. Right, Fate-chan?" My attempt to ease the anger in the atmosphere... doesn't really work. The blond just glances at me. "S-So, Hayate-chan. What're you doing here?"

"Oh. I was going to the theater; a new movie's out. Want to come?"

"Yeah! I'm up for it." _I haven't watched a movie in such a long time._

"I'll pass." Fate takes a step back. "Arf seems tired, so I'll take her home." She turns her back to Hayate and me and walks away.

"You can pick Nanoha up at eight! Eight sharp!" Hayate-chan yells loudly at Fate's retreating form. "At the front of the building! Front!" She cups her hands around her mouth into a makeshift sound amplifier.

"H-Hayate-chan!" I grab one of her arms. "What was that for?" A hiss of embarrassment. My friend in turn beams a smile at me.

"Well, she's escorting you. So might as well make her do her job." Hayate-chan chuckles giddily. _As if she finds this whole situation extremely amusing._

"Fate-chan's going to get back at you, somehow. She always finds a way." I warn her. "Anyway, where's the theater?"

"Oh. This way, this way." She grabs one of my arms and pulls me deeper into the building.

We walk around the department store in search of escalators. After the fourth set, we arrive on the fifth floor which is solely dedicated to all things movie related, including a moderately sized theater. Hayate-chan and I wait patiently in the ticket line.

"So." She begins, catching my attention. "You two seemed pretty close back there." A smirk.

"Why do you say that?" I humor her.

"She never takes anyone shopping. It was quite a shocker, really."

"You said that already." I quickly fumble through my limp wallet and pay for my ticket. _Ah crap. There goes a day's worth of food._

"No. You don't understand. She doesn't take _anyone_ shopping. _Ever._"

"Oh?" Hayate-chan grabs her ticket and directs me toward the theater room.

"Fate-chan's extremely quick to anger. She gets fed up of the company. Usually, anyway." My friend looks at me.

"It's not as if everything was perfect. She did get mad at me." I reason._ Or irritated._

"So obviously you annoy her. But she's still willing to accompany you." Hayate counters.

"That doesn't mean anything though. Maybe she was just in a good mood. Arf was with her." _She can't refute that._

"And she wasn't exactly happy when I showed up." Her tone becomes playful.

"W-Wha?" I stutter.

"She wanted Nanoha-chan all to herself." A huge grin plasters itself on her face; she hugs me and makes kissing noises.

"Mou, Hayate-chan. S-Stop it." I try to control my laughing while shielding myself from the barrage of affection.

_o o o o o o_

When did it get so late? After grabbing dinner with Hayate-chan, it was already almost eight and my short-haired friend had to leave. I was left alone until my escort came to pick me up. _That's right! Fate. I don't even know if she'll come..._

With that thought in mind, I head to the front of the department building. As I walk outside, a soft cool breeze flows past, and I in my tank top shiver slightly. Running my hands up and down my arms I find a small little bench and sit down. I close my eyes, listening to the passing cars and chattering of people. It's surprisingly peaceful and calming.

"Hey there." An unfamiliar voice. My eyes flick open to a tall, dark haired guy. He's dressed casually in jeans and a hoodie.

"Umm." I stand up and back away from him.

"Hey, c'mon. Don't run away. Wanna go karaoke with a couple of my friends?" He smiles invitingly and points to a group idling a couple feet away.

"Uhh, no thanks." My head shakes. I quickly scan around for a place to go. _A place to run._ And my eyes land upon a flicker of gold. _Fate! It's definitely Fate across the street._

"It'll be fun. Come on." He places his arm on my shoulder; I shrink away. _Is she going to help me?_

_More like... she's just watching._

"Sorry. Someone's waiting for me." I laugh nervously and head towards Fate's direction, but he soon follows me. I quickly cross the street and run up to Fate.

"Took you long enough." The blond remarks as soon as I stop in front of her.

"Why didn't you come help me?" I heave, out of breath.

"Mmm. I was enjoying the... ah, entertainment." I glare angrily at her.

"Jerk."

"Hey, who's this babe? A friend of yours?" The guy from before asks. _Why is he still here?!_

"I _told_ you to go away!" I spin around angrily.

"Aww. C'mon. Don't be like-"

"Fuck. Off." I growl. His eyes narrow and he turns around, walking away and mumbling to himself.

"Hmm. So you do stand up for yourself." She smiles slyly. I scowl at her and walk past her. _I'm not even going to-_

"Oh right. I almost forgot." Fate drapes an oddly familiar jacket over me. A white one. _Waittt._ I stop walking and study it. _Yep, the parka from the store. _I turn around to face her.

"Y-You bought it?" _For me?_ She doesn't answer. Instead she walks over and zips it up slowly, gently fixing the hood. My face heats up slightly.

"I'm taking your tips from work until you repay the jacket." _W-Wha..._

"B-But that means I won't get any money for a long time. A _really_ long time." A whine.

"Too bad. You chose an expensive jacket." I pout; Fate laughs.

_o o o o o o_

We walk in a comfortable silence. _As always._ _At least until an argument starts. _My eyes wandered around the scenery, trying to memorize the streets and little landmarks for easier navigation in the future. _For the most part, I know them, but not confidently enough to walk by myself. Hmm? Is... Fate walking slower today?Or did I start walking faster? No, that's not possible. I always walk pretty slow. _I quicken my pace a little to walk side-by-side with her.

"Ne, Fa-" A generic ring tone echoes through the silent night. The blond pulls out a black cellphone from her parka, flips it open, and places it next to her ear.

"Testarossa." A sigh. "Alright. It can't be helped, I suppose." She pinches the bridge of her nose in irritation. With that, she closes her phone and shoves it into her pocket. _Fate-chan looks pretty angry... so it's probably not a good idea to try talking to her._ I busy myself with whatever scenery the street lamps offer.

As we walk up the stairs to her house, Fate pulls out her keys and unlocks the door. We both take off our shoes, and she helps me take off my jacket.

"Jackets go in this closet, okay?" She seems to have calmed down; her voice is gentle. The blond hangs up both parkas in the closet.

"Alright." Fate walks into the living room, and pauses.

"Oh, right. Here." She tosses a brown blur at me. I catch it, noting that it's a teddy bear. "It's a welcoming gift." The blond settles on the couch comfortably. A smile graces my lips.

"I'm going to name it Fate!" I say as I plop down next to her, nuzzling the bear. Her eyes narrow.

"No. Give it back then." She extends her arm to grab the bear, but I move the bear out of her reach.

"Alright, alright." I laugh. "I'll name it something else." With that, Fate stops her complaints and resettles in her spot.

_But I'm still calling it 'Fate' when she's not around._

**a/n:** first off: happy new year everyone. =D secondly, i'm alive and well, albeit not really working on this as much as i'd like. I'm obviously one of those phail people that cannot manage time at all. I found that I wrote about 70% of this about two months ago. I totally forgot. lol. So there's bound to be tons of mistakes. I'll correct it later if there's an ungodly amount. So I totally forgot I had this story too (so buried in college apps was I, but now, I am finished!) but the reviews and such that I got reminded me, so thanks everyone. For waiting patiently for my phail writing. =D

sadly/happily, no yuuno this chapter. not many people like yuuno, huh? lol

**Yuumura Setsuna: **=D I have all the powar. I can't say how it'll turn out =/  
**Major Mike Powell III: **haha, thanks. Not exactly asap. Lol  
**D.D:** yes, I find their similarities oddly interesting. Thanks. =D  
**Syaoran Li Clow:** hahha. 'A bug on the shoe' that's perfect lol. Thanks for the support.  
**Knight of L-sama: **1- I agree. She is always cool. 2- I agree as well. i feel like there's more freedom with fate and nanoha.  
err, i dont remember. it's been so long. i think it was tank top and shorts... i might be wrong.  
**dopecar:** yeah, that happened to me too. Waiting for webcomics to update is painful.  
Hopefully this chapter answers/addresses your surprise last chapter. Depends how well it's portrayed through my writing. So maybe it doesn't really... iono. =/  
yes, college apps= repetitive indeed. But it's over now.  
**ToumaSan:** ahaha. I hate reading about the love triangle sooo much. It's so agonizing. But it works lol. Cool smexy fate is always the best. Sorry it's only one chapter, even though you gave me lots of cookies -.-;;  
**handlewithcare:** haha, thanks. Hopefully this one is pretty fun to read too.  
**lilgumba:** I thought it'd be entertaining to read that way. Huh. Hopefully it wasn't confusing this time? I'll look into it more when I change perspective. Thanks.  
**tsubasa:** I can't promise anything =D

thanks for all the support. so obviously, i can't promise weekly updates or anything. i'll sporadicly update. sorry. =/ so again, i hope everyone enjoyed this. it was pretty fun to write.


	7. Day 7 Sunday

**disclaimer:** i do not own MLGN or the roomba.  
Hachi - generic dog name.

* * *

**Nanoha**

_I suppose if I think about it, my life has turned out quite strange._ _But at the same time, it's a pleasant kind of strange; something I wouldn't mind getting used to._

That was the first thought that came to mind when I felt warm sunlight hit my eyes. But of course, something was bound to occur and change my mind, which always seemed to happen when I was near the blond. And that something came in the form of Arf. Somehow, _Fate_, my door was opened, and the hyperactive lovely creature wandered into my room. _Intentionally_. She proceeded to jump up onto my bed, _god knows how she even jumps so high, _crawl all over the covers, and then paw my face. At some point, my patience had drained so I lifted myself up and nudged her off the bed; she gave a slight yelp. But when Arf landed on the ground unscathed, she proceeded to bark. Loudly. And so, my next thought was:

**God dammit, Fate.**

Sliding ever so slowly out of bed, I glare heatedly at the red furred dog. If she processed my anger at all, she did not acknowledge it in the least, sauntering out into the hallway tail wagging and everything. A groan escapes my mouth as my body flops back down on soft fluffy sheets; the back of my right hand rests on my forehead.

"Today is Sunday, isn't it?" _I feel like there's some sort of significance to Sunday... but I can't quite place it. _I bury my head in the pillow, w_hatever, I'll figure it out... later. _

An unwelcome weight parks itself back on my bed causing the edge to dip down a little and my body to slide towards the source. _I just want to sleep; Leave me alone, Arf. _My hand wanders out from under the covers to search for that red rascal and lands on something warm and soft. But not fur? I squeeze a couple times. _Yep, definitely not fur._ _More like fabric. _I sigh inwardly. _Shit._

"I was going to wake you up since I'm such a nice boss, but seems you're awake. Takamachi-san." She says the last part looking at me._ I just know she's glaring at me. I can feel it. _A chill runs down my spine. "Takamachi-san?" The blond voices gently. _Ahhh, she's angry. She's totally angry!_ My hand withdraws back under the covers, as does the rest of my body; I make sure that all parts of me at least have a semblance of a shield against her, no matter how thin.

"I'm sleeping. Definitely sleeping! This is all some bad dream where in actuality Arf should be where you are, and I didn't actually touch you- I mean, Arf." My muffled speech is greeted by silence. "I didn't do it on purpose, I swear!"

"So, I should forgive you." She hums thoughtfully.

"Yes." I speak adamantly from under the covers.

"Then get out of bed." Fate pats my back before lifting herself up. _Sounds more like, 'if you want to be forgiven, you will get out of bed.'_

"O-Okay..." _I, however, plan to stay exactly where I am. _My body relaxes into the warmth, slowly drifting off to sleep-

"Now." Her voice is getting edgier by the second.

"But it's Sunday..." A whine escapes with the implied message of 'I want to sleep in.'

"And you think that means anything because..." The blond deadpans.

"Mouu!" I flail frustratingly under the covers. "I'm up, I'm up!" _Ahhh, why did today have to start like this?!_

_o o o o o o_

A loud yawn escapes my mouth. Sunlight pools on the breakfast tabletop barren of food at the moment. My arms are splayed haphazardly around the table and my cheek is resting on the glass surface. I mumble comfortably from the warmth with a content smile forming on my lips.

"You're not doing what I think you're doing, right?" Fate asks.

"I'm definitely... awake." A slow reply.

"And...why am I making breakfast for you anyway?" Her signature irritation _with everything _returns.

"You won't let me touch anything in the kitchen. I can make breakfast perfectly fine." I state with a slight pout.

"Oh, _right._ I forgot who I was talking to. You're the one that cut yourself with a butter knife. God knows, you might just one day find a pan and decide to give yourself a concussion." My smile turns upside down.

"I don't appreciate the dry humor. Any anyway, it wasn't a butter knife."

"Might as well have been." The blond sets a pancake in front of me coupled with a bowl of fresh fruit. "What do you like on your pancakes?" The sarcasm and irritation is instantly gone from her voice.

"Huh? Uhh. Maple syrup?" Fate nods in understanding. She opens a cabinet and grabs the syrup and then proceeds to open a drawer and grab a couple utensils, handing all of them to me.

"Thanks." I place everything around my area of eatery. My boss sits across from me with a smoothie in front of her. She proceeds to grab a newspaper and ruffle through a couple pages before relaxing. I pour maple syrup on my pancake, cut a slice, place it in my mouth, and chew thoughtfully. I swallow.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Ruby red eyes glance up from the paper; she doesn't reply. "It's the most important meal of the day, you know." Her eyes narrow.

"I don't want to be told that by a kid."

"Whu– hey, we can't be that far apart in age." I pout.

"Really? So how old are you?" The blond sets her paper down.

"Nineteen. You?" She hums. "What?"

"Same. Nineteen as well." Fate states.

"No way– " My hand clamps my mouth; her eyes narrow.

"What were you going to say?" Her voice is calm, but there's a hint of irritation.

"Ah, it was... nothing." My eyes glance at anything but her eyes. "So anyway. You should eat breakfast." I lean forward and with my fork lift a piece of my pancake towards the blond.

She glances from the fork to meet my gaze as if saying with her eyes 'what do you expect?' _Huh? O-Ohh... _My head dips down a little to avoid her crimson orbs, and I can feel my face heating up rather quickly. _What an awkward situation... _Fate audibly sighs causing me to look back up at her. She leans forward slowly and bites off the contents of the fork. Her eyelids flutter shut as the rays of sunlight grace her features, and my breathe hitches in my throat. It lasts a second or maybe just half a second, but then the spell breaks as she pulls back and resettles in her seat. Her head rests in the palm of her hand which is propped up on the table, and her eyes open, looking directly into mine. An amused smile.

"Thanks, but I already did."

"Huh...?"

"I already ate breakfast." Still smiling.

"O-Ohh..." I look down at the rest of my food, never meeting her gaze for the remainder of the meal.

_o o o o o o_

After breakfast, I stretch out comfortably on the sofa while Fate takes Arf for her daily walk. _Apparently work on Sunday starts much earlier than normal, according to the blond. Though I suppose it ends earlier as well, which is a plus. Yet she still hasn't told be what I'd be doing, since host clubs aren't generally open at, well, normal hours._

A familiar J-pop ring tone resounds, and I flip open my phone, looking at the caller.

"Unknown?" My eyebrows furrow. "Hello?"

-Nanoha-chan?- _I could recognize that voice anywhere._

"Hayate-chan?"

-Are you headed over to the Rose today?-

"Yeah."

-So she's forcing you to work today, eh?-

"Our boss is cruel. She won't let me have the day off today." I half-joke; my friend laughs.

-Don't think of it that way! Fate just probably wants to spend as much time with you as possible.- I can feel her smile on the other side of the line.

"What are you talking about?" A laugh. _Oh, no, what has Hayate-chan thought of this time._

-Hmm, well. According to my knowledge, you'll be the only other one working on Sunday-

"Wait, what? So it's just the boss and me?"

-What? You didn't know? Who would want to work on Sunday willingly?-

"I... I guess that's true..." I sigh dejectedly.

-Don't be sad, consider yourself lucky! And! As an added bonus, you get to watch her work; That's a major treat in and of itself.-

"I feel like I'm not understanding some sort of inside joke." A pout.

-Ohoho. You will, Nanoha-chan, you will.- My brown haired friend continues to cackle with delight even when we bid our farewells. I heave a sigh as I stare at the ceiling.

"Guess I have something to look forward to?" I question uncertainly.

_o o o o o o_

There's an audible click at the door. Seconds later, Fate is pushing it open, trying to jingle the key out of the lock. Arf trots ahead of her into the house, then she turns towards me, and we stare at each other for a while, at least until I notice her tail wagging. _You have got to be kidding me... _The red dog bolts in my direction, leaps up onto the couch, walks all over me, and prods my face with her wet nose, all in a matter of seconds.

"Aughh, I'm. Not. Sleeping." I exclaim, half laughing. As I try to sit up, Arf gives my face a couple of licks. "Nyaha, that tickles." My fingers run through her beautiful mane. When I turn to look at my boss watching the whole scene, she has this content and amused smile plastered on her face.

"About ready to go?"

"Yeah. Just. A. Slight. Problem." _Still trying to fend off the dog's onslaught. _The blond walks over and pets Arf.

"Good girl, good job." She ruffles the fur on the dog's head. The red beast wags her tail, barks, and bounds off the couch.

"Good?" I question suspiciously.

"She does her job well, don't you think? As your alarm clock." Fate walks towards the front door, stopping at the closet to grab my jacket.

"Hey..." I pout as I trail after her.

So we head off to the Rose beginning the trip in our usual silence. _At least until I figure out some sort of conversation starter. She'll probably just respond with some super sarcastic comment as usual. Hmm, wait, but hasn't she been a lot, well, nicer, today than normal? I mean, it might just be me? I was in a relatively bad mood this morning, so that couldn't be. And she did wake me up... sort of... well she would have if I didn't... yeah. _

_I guess she's been nicer. Wait, no, that's probably not it either. If I think back, hasn't she always been relatively nice and understanding? Well, her actions, at least. Her words are another thing entirely different. As if she can't help but be nice,... but that irritates her to no end. Or something like that._

The girl in question is being her normally inconsiderate self and walking ahead of me. _You'd think she'd notice that she has longer legs than me. _I quicken my pace to catch up with her, taking note that the both of us make a weird pair. _Of acquaintances... friends? We're both wearing jeans, but I'm in a tank top and she's in a blouse. Hmm, I don't think I've seen her wear a tank top... no that's not true. I've never seen her wear it out of the house? I guess. Though I haven't know her for a long time so I can't really say..._

"Hey." Fate has her hand on my shoulder, holding me in place.

"Huh?" I stop and look up at her, or where I thought she'd be. Turns out she's slightly behind me.

"It's a red light. Be a bit more aware of your surroundings." The blond scolds lightly while releasing my shoulder. I lower my head in a nod.

"Mm. Right, sorry."

"What's got you so spaced out?" The blatant concern is surprisingly...surprising. I smile inwardly. _You._

"It's nothing."

"You're usually dying to slaughter me with questions or destroy my ears with your talking." She states totally exasperatedly. _Ugh, she ruined the mood. Great choice of words, by the way._

"Nyahaha. Thought I'd give you a break, but since you like the questions so much..." I trail off on purpose, beaming a smile at her. Her face visible falls. "So first question is–" Fate cuts me off.

"Ahh, look, a green light." The blond walks forward quite quickly. I follow closely behind.

"Fine, fine, no questions." I whine to her, and she slows down her pace a little. _She thinks she's safe. _A grin spreads on my face, and I latch onto her arm so she can't run. "But I can still talk."

_o o o o o o_

By the time that we arrive at the Rose, I think my boss is about ready to murder me. _In the nicest way possible, I'm sure._ I'm commanded to outfit myself in the usual attire. When I reappear from the locker room, the blond hands me a towel and a bottle of windex then proceeds to disappear into the office, locking the door and everything. A sigh.

"Is this some sort of punishment?" Surveying my surroundings, I groan loudly. "Wipe down all the tables and chairs, she says. Vacuum the floor, and oh, do clean up the kitchen as well, she says. I'm supposed to do all of this myself?! This place is huge!" I spray the cleaner on a couple tabletops and begin wiping the surfaces. _I haven't done work like this since helping out at the Midoriya cafe. Speaking of which... I guess I should call them at some point, huh? _

The work goes by in relative silence, _not that I mind; it's oddly relaxing. _A couple of breaks here and there, and all that's left is to vacuum the place. After a couple minutes of searching, I find the storage closet and unearth what seems to be the vacuum cleaner. It's this cylindric shape about a foot in diameter.

"What is this? iRobot, roomba? Oh! I've always wanted to try one of these." I examine the piece of equipment for a couple minutes before placing it on the ground and pressing 'clean'. The cleaner starts, and I sit on one of the stools, watching intently as it does its job. After a couple minutes or so, boredom sets in and I head off towards the boss's office.

A knock and a couple minutes later, the door clicks and swings open to the sight of Fate speaking on her cell phone, resting between her shoulder and ear, and a clipboard with a checklist of some sort in her hands. She motions me inside and goes back to her chair; I sit in a chair opposite from her, inspecting the office. _Although there's boxes and cabinets of files and folders, it looks rather organized. _There are a couple of photos placed beneath the glass surface of one of her tables, but the documents are covering the majority of them. I'm tempted to shuffle the files out of the way, but I resist.

There's an audible beep and the blond flips her phone closed, a soft sigh escapes her lips.

"Inventory?" Her crimson gaze fixes itself on my lavender one; she gives a slight nod.

"Just about done. You?"

"Almost, the roomba is vacuuming as we speak. It's really–" her phone starts ringing, and she flips it open.

"Testarossa speaking." After a couple minutes listening to the other end of the line, she covers her phone's speaker and motions for me to leave. As soon as I get up, the phone conversation begins again. Fate continues the conversation calmly and politely even though her eyes are narrowed slightly. "Pardon me, but I don't think you understand. Let me rephrase it into simpler terms for you." _Okay, maybe not polite at all. _Just as I close the door, my boss looks fed up with the person on the other end of the line. She ends the call with a, " The answer is no. Good day." and flips the phone shut.

I wait outside idly watching the roomba slide under one of the sofas and then back out. _Wonder what that was about._ Fate appears from the room moments later, still rather peeved and hands me my coat.

"Let's go." Her voice is gentle, but it sounds extremely forced. The blond doesn't wait for me at all _as usual _as I struggle to keep up with her. After minutes of trying to amuse myself with avoiding the cracks in the sidewalks, I gently tap her left arm.

"Where are we going?" My voice hesitant. She gives me the briefest of brief glances to show she acknowledges my presence but offers nothing else. We walk in an awkward silence for a couple of blocks with me tailing somewhat behind her, giving her some space. S_o apparently she doesn't like talking when she's angry. At all. _I busy myself with staring at the way her golden strands of hair move in the wind or glisten in the sunlight. Every once in a while I try memorizing a couple street names or stare up at the clouds. _Sundays are meant to be sleep in days, _I think longingly. _I should just be able to lounge around at home and take afternoon naps._ _Maybe if I pretend to be sick next Sunday, she'll let me have a day off. _A small frown forms on my mouth. _But somehow I get this strange feeling that she probably won't buy it, it's as if she can tell just by looking at me._

"Takamachi-san." Her voice pulls me back to reality. "We'll split up here. Meet back in an hour?"

"Huh?" _What is going on?_

"For lunch." The blond turns to face me. I don't know if it's because of the light, but her eyes somehow... they look several shades darker than usual. _Dull. _It doesn't feel as if she's looking directly at me either. I glance around noting that there are various cafes and eateries on both sides of the street.

"I'll uhh. I'll eat wherever you eat." A shy smile as I scratch my cheek nervously.

_o o o o o o_

"You could've just asked for some money." She reprimands me while paying the bill.

"Ehh. Well it was..." I cover my mouth with a napkin while pretending to wipe my mouth. "... embarrassing." Fate smirks.

"Right. And saying you'd 'follow me wherever I went' obviously wasn't embarrassing." Each word is bathed in sarcasm.

"Mouu!" My face falls to the palms of my hands. "It was the lesser of the two." A soft mumble; her response is laughter.

After placing some money as a tip, we both walk out onto the street. By now it's almost mid afternoon, and the cool evening breeze is starting to overshadow the warmth of the sun. As it turns out, we were already quite close to Fate's house so it only took about ten minutes before we were at her doorstep. She quickly unlocks the door and is greeted by an overly happy Arf. The blond goes about playing and feeding the dog while I place my coat back into the closet. A content sound comes from my mouth as I flop down onto the couch reveling in finally being able to relax. About as quickly as my boss enters her house, she leaves, saying something along the lines that she had to do something, and that I could attempt to make dinner as long as I didn't destroy her kitchen.

_But first, _I decide. _A nap sounds nice right about now._

_o o o o o o_

**Fate**

I lean, arms crossed, against the wall waiting as the receptionist calls the ones that asked for this stupid meeting in the first place. _Sure, It'd be great if I could make money off of them, but if they're going to just act like pompous assholes the whole time then this is just a waste of time._

The elevator dings and a long haired blond, hair tied up in a pony tail, surrounded by what I assume are body guards walks toward me, a business-like smile plastered on his face.

"Ah. Nice to meet you, Testarossa-san. The director can't meet with you at this moment, so I'll be speaking on his behalf." We shake hands. "Yuuno Scrya." Burgundy and emerald clash. "How about we discuss this in a more... private area." He commands politely; I sigh.

"Sure." Once the door closes behind me with a click, he begins. _I can only hope my patience outlasts his mouth._

"So the established request is that I, son of the director, will be allowed a VIP room whenever I show up to your club." _Hmm..._

"That's the overall request, yes."

"What's the problem then? I think it's a feasibly simple request."

"Simple and general are two different things."

"Do explain."

"You're forgetting the fact that you have bodyguards that follow you everywhere. I refuse to have them in my club." The blond boy ponders for a bit.

"Alright, so no bodyguards, I can do that."

"The club stays open even if you do arrive. It's not meant to cater to you and you alone."

"That's fine as well." A confident smile; my eyes narrow.

"Go find another club." I move towards the door.

"W-What?! What's the problem? I agreed to your terms." He grabs my arm forcefully. As I turn, my blood red meets his glowing emerald. Silence.

"You're hand." A low growl. Scrya releases slowly, a fake apology forming at the tip of his tongue.

"I'm sorry, that was unprofessional–" I cut him off.

"Save it. You think that just because your father is the director, I won't refuse?" A hollow chuckle. "I don't care about publicity." He smirks triumphantly.

"But you do about money."

"..." I take a deep breath to calm myself down. _He's pissing me off._ My thumb and index finger pinch the bridge of my nose. "Okay, so you agree to my terms." The green eyed boy backs off a little.

"Yes. I don't see why you won't agree." He voices gruffly.

"I don't care if _you_ agree to my terms. Does your father agree?" _I'm not that dumb to get tricked by paperwork. _His eyes cloud over; silence is my answer. With that I take my leave and open the door.

"I'll." I pause and wait for him to continue. "I'll... talk to my father. And then we'll sign the agreement." He states determined; I smirk.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself. Call me when your father decides you can stand on your own two feet. "

"What makes you any different from me?" He glares dangerously at me. "Your parents dictate your life as much as mine do, Fate." I can't help but laugh. Even as I turn and leave him standing in the doorway of the room, I can't stop laughing.

_You wish._

_You wish, Yuuno-kun._

_o o o o o o_

A sigh. _I feel like that's all I've been doing recently: sighing. _Slowly, I insert the key, unlock the door, and push it open. What I expect to be greeted by is vastly different from the greeting I receive.

"Ah, Fate-chan!" The lavender eyed brunette practically drags me into my house, closes the door, and attacks my jacket, hanging it in the closet. She then proceeds to drag me into the kitchen rather ecstatically. "Look, Fate-chan, I made dinner, and I didn't destroy anything." A happy grin is plastered on her face. There's a rather appetizing array of dishes on the tabletop. "See, see?" her finger points at the table while her eyes look to me for approval. I can practically see her imaginary tail wagging to and fro.

My hand comes up to cover my mouth; I can't help but laugh. Those lavender eyes look at me questioningly followed by a small head tilt. It's too funny; I can't help myself. I can't stop laughing. I place my hand on her head and ruffle her hair. The girl shrinks back slightly out of surprise.

"You beat the dog to the door, Hachi."

* * *

**a/n:** trying to go for that lazy sunday feel. probably a lot of errors. will correct later. uhh, so random notes i write to myself while i write:  
I will leave where nanoha touched up to your imagination. =D  
so apparently they're going to develop a sort of friendship simply due to the fact that they annoy the hell out of each other.  
I have no idea how a roomba works (ie. virtual wall thing O__O ). If anyone knows, do correct me if i'm utterly wrong.

**Syaoran Li Clow**: here's to hoping for a better year. =D and yuuno makes his appearance. XD  
**ToumaSan**: maybe... with Fate you never know. XDDD  
**Major Mike Powell III**: haha, thanks. hmm, i thought yuuno had a decent fanbase? (maybe not on ffnet)  
**BPHaru**: hmm, well what i went for was something disturbing enough that she would just not entertain thoughts of it afterwards. yes, i do agree it was a bit much... and probably too early. hmm, i'll think of a way to revise it to better portray what i wanted. thanks =D  
**Elestren**: didn't reveal the name of the bear this time. =O hayate is like the super support character... for now.  
**handlewithcare**: hope this doesn't disappoint. stuff being revealed at a snail's pace! XD  
**Chelitagir****l**: yeah, the timing was probably bad on my part. when i finish the whole thing... at some point in my life, i'll get to revising the whole story, and that'll definitely be one of those parts. thanks. =D

thanks for all the reviews and crits. they were all really wonderful to read.

and i figured out where i'm going. =DD well anyway, i'm off to suffer 2-3 weeks of utter fail. until next time.


	8. Day 8 Monday

**a/n:** Okay. First off: Don't kill me. Please. Well, then. Enjoy.

* * *

**Fate**

"Fate." A familiar voice urges eagerly. "Fate, let's play." A groan escapes my mouth as I turn my back towards the source of the voice. "C'mon." My arm is tugged lightly but rather impatiently. I refuse to move and after a couple failed attempts, "Dad, Fate isn't waking up." A pitiful whine.

"Oh, really?" A deep calm voice questions; I cringe at the memory of that horribly oppressive sound. "Try again, I'm sure she'll wake up this time." There's a hint of something, a threat, only I recognize, and I sigh inwardly.

"Fate, wake up." The irritating shaking resumes, slightly more forceful than before.

"Okay, okay. I'm up." A hint of irritation; I wave a dismissive hand at the one that refuses to leave me alone. Bright blue sky greets me; A smattering of fluffy white clouds hover peacefully above. _It was so quiet just minutes ago. _A conceding sigh.

I push myself up into a sitting position, noticing my reflection in the lake next to me; A younger version of myself, maybe nine, stares straight back at me surrounded by a field of flowers. Situated slightly behind me is the eager idiot that wouldn't leave me alone; a soft chuckle escapes my mouth. I turn to face a blond-haired boy I know all too well.

"Yuuno-kun." I give a polite nod.

"Fate." He smiles brightly. "Let's play. C'mon, c'mon!" He reaches his hands out towards me. As if his cheerful disposition wasn't enough, a light gust of wind dances past us, lifting an assortment of flowery debris into a colorful swirl. Everything about this screams picturesque: an ecstatic nine-year-old boy, outside under a bright blue sky with the wind acting playful as well. Everything is just so perfect. And it makes me smile and laugh, almost reflexively.

Because he can't know;

I can't let him know.

That what I'm thinking right now is:

**Great, **

**Here We Go Again.**

"That." I state absently at my ceiling. "Is not what I wanted to remember." A tired sigh. "Nor is it how I wanted to wake up today." _Or any day._ A generic ringing erupts on the nightstand next to me; I can already feel the beginnings of a horrible headache. I quickly grab and flip open my phone. "Testarossa speaking."

"I see you're still an early riser." The deep voice comments in a strangely casual tone.

"..."

"Don't tell me you've forgotten me already." Mock dejection. Again, that horribly casual voice. Strangely, a thick, somewhat suffocating atmosphere settles around me.

"I'd rather we keep this professional, Scrya-san." My hand pinches the bridge of my nose. "What could possibly force you to choose to call me at six in the morning?" My voice stays surprisingly monotone despite the presence of a scowl on my face.

"Sadly, I think we both know the answer to that." _Of course, that little..._

"Right." I bite my lip. Hard. _If I so much as see him._

"So how have you been? We haven't talked in a-" I cut him off.

"What do you want?" He pauses, slightly offended.

"Dinner, tonight. I'll pick you up at seven?" The question sounds more than anything like a command.

"..." _He's always like this._

"Fate?"

"Fine." A curt reply before I quickly snap my phone shut and let it drop next to me. "Whatever you say..."

_o o o o o o_

**Hayate**

Knock. Knock.

_No way._ I groan tiredly and ignore the intrusive noise as I snuggle closer to Vita-chan.

Knock.  
Knock.

I open my eyes slowly, focusing on the clock that reads 6:21 AM.

_Are you serious?_ I carefully slide out of the bed, making sure not to wake my cousin, and quietly shuffle towards the door. _Now. Who the hell could possibly want anything from me this early in the morning?_ I take a deep breath and open the door. "Who. The. Fu- F-Fate?! W-What are you doing here at six?!" I hiss angrily at my friend and lift an arm to whack her on the head.

"Sorry." She states somewhat absently. Any fistful of words I was about ready to throw at her dissipates as my arm slowly drops to my side. _Now that I take a good look at her, something is definitely off. It's unsettling how agitated Fate-chan is at just six in the morning. I know she's a light sleeper, but... and then there's the thing where she's not looking at me when she speaks to me. That's definitely a bad sign._

"What do you need?" I question gently.

"I." She pauses."I-I can't-" Another pause. "I. Can't. Think." She takes a deep breath, probably to calm herself down; her trembling subsides a little. "I need space. To think."

For a split second, blood red overwhelms me. As if someone that I don't recognize is standing in front of me: a swirl of emotions, but most prominent, most overbearing: anger, hatred. _Have I ever seen her this angry before? While she's usually rather irritated... for Fate-chan to be absolutely angry. It's rather unsettling. _Then it's gone; she blinks, hiding with her hands the window into a Fate-chan I don't know. A breath I unconsciously held escapes my mouth, slowly, quietly.

"Arf." I call out to the dog that's deathly still, silently behind her master; she obediently walks into the house and sits next to me. "Anything else?"

"Your friend." Her voice is hollow; The blond reaches into her pocket and pulls out a key and a twenty dollar bill, hands them to me, and leaves. _The snide comments, sarcastic replies that veil her caring self, her concern; none of it is present. None of the Fate I know is present. _As her back disappears from my view, my legs give way as I gradually sink to the floor. Arf nudges me gently and licks my hand; I ruffle through the soft brown-red fur absently.

"You know, Arf. I never knew. Did you?" I pat her head gently. "That Fate-chan could act so well; she was angry but she didn't really let it show." _Well, minus the subtle movements. _"Hmm, but I wonder. Who could've made her that angry?" _And why did she give me money?_ A low chuckle; I pat Arf's head lightly. "Well. No use thinking too much, right? I'll just do what I can." _Because._ She wags her tail happily. "So, c'mon. Let's get a bit more sleep." I push myself up off the ground. _She trusts me._ Taking one last look outside, I push the door shut. _She came to me for help._

As Arf settles at the foot of the bed, I crawl silently back under the covers, only to be greeted by wide bright blue eyes. An affectionate smile forms on my lips.

"And what are you doing up?" A low whisper as I lower myself and envelop the red-head in a hug. She makes a disapproving grumble.

"You're the one who woke up first." Vita-chan glares at me.

"Right, right. Sorry to have disturbed you." A soft laugh.

"So. Why was _she_ here?" My cousin questions in her somewhat rude tone.

"Mmm. Just some... problems." A vague answer. Silence. My eyes close as I settle myself back to sleep.

Suddenly, the little form next to me starts squirming under the covers. A sigh. Disturbed from my sleep again.

"Vita-chan?" A whisper, slightly irritated. The red-head's arms circle around my waist and give me the most reassuring squeeze they can muster.

"It'll be okay." She mumbles. My lips stretch into a smile as I pull her closer to me.

"Mm. It'll be okay." I repeat with certainty.

_o o o o o o_

"Nanoha-chan should be awake, right?" Arf replies with a wag of her tail. As soon as I unlock the door; she pushes it open and trots straight for the kitchen; I follow suit.

"Arf? I missed you." Sitting at the rather food-less breakfast table, my brunette friend coos at the dog. "Wait! Does that mean Fate's... home?" Her voice trails of quite noticeably as her bright lavender eyes dull towards a more blueish tint. And then, "Oh. It's just Hayate-chan." She pouts, rather cutely. I flash my friend one of my angry smiles and cross my arms.

"Hey, now. What kind of greeting was that?" Nanoha-chan slumps in her chair. Still pouting.

"Hayate-chan. Have you seen Fate-chan?" She looks at me pleadingly. _Never mind that she totally just ignored me._ "I tried calling her, but..." Nanoha pulls out a sleek black cell phone onto the table. _I guess Fate-chan really does want to be left alone._

"Well, she came by my house-"

"Really? When?!" _Her spirits lift almost instantly._

"Around six-"

"That was four hours ago!" She exclaims in exasperation. _And then come crashing down._

"Fate-chan probably had some business to take care of, and she was most likely in a rush so she forgot her phone." My friend seems to visibly calm at that horribly generic explanation. "So, what's so important that you need her right now?"

"Oh, umm. She usually makes me breakfast, so-" _Hold on. What?_

"Wait." A pause. "She makes you breakfast."

"Yes..." Nanoha replies rather obliviously.

"So she goes shopping with you... _and_ cooks for you?!"

"Well, I made dinner yesterday-" _You're not helping yourself. At all._

"W-Wait. You guys cook for each other?!" I heave a dramatic sigh and place both hands on my friend's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Nanoha-chan. I'm a horrible friend; I didn't realize you two had progressed so far already." A smirk threatens to destroy my somber facade. "Congratulations."

"E-Ehh?" Silence, as she looks at me with utter confusion. Then, her face slowly heats up like a tomato. "W-Whu, N-No, it's not like that. W-We just-" A quite audible laugh slips through my grasp.

And, silence.

"Mou! Hayate-chan!" Nanoha balls up a napkin and chucks it at me.

"Ahaha..." I back away quickly to dodge the onslaught of, well, paper. "Here, I can make you breakfast." I egg her on. "What does _your_ Fate-chan usually make you?" She grumbles angrily.

"No. Thank. You." she huffs loudly and crosses her arms.

"Aww. I'm not good enough?" Mock dejection. Her ears slowly accumulate a tinge of red as well. She doesn't answer. "Alright, alright. How about we go out to eat? You, me, and Vita-chan."

She mumbles something to herself.

"Hmm? I couldn't hear you."

"I said 'okay'," Nanoha states slightly louder.

_o o o o o o_

When we arrived at my house, Vita-chan was staring down a pair of carrots left on her plate. It's surprising how quickly she eats them if she can get something she wants. All I had to say was, 'We're going out. You can come with us if you clean up your plate.'

"So where are we going?" The little red-head asks as we're walking up the street.

"To get breakfast."

"But I already ate." Her bright blue eyes are full of confusion; I can't resist patting her head.

"For her." I point to my friend. "She hasn't eaten yet."

"Oh..." She trails off, perhaps thinking. Then, "Nanoha," her demeanor is the epitome of seriousness.

"Hmm?"

"You shouldn't try to skip your meals."

"I wasn't-" She cuts my friend off.

"Hayate will make sure you never skip your meals." My cousin's face pales, as if she's seen a ghost.

"Hey!" I give her a light bop on the head. "I am not _that_ scary." The red-head rubs her head while Nanoha-chan bursts into laughter.

After a bit of walking, we arrive at a street with a rather large selection of eateries and restaurants; I lead Nanoha-chan and Vita-chan to an open-air cafe that I'm quite fond of. As we seat ourselves, Vita-chan quickly examines the pictures of each of the beverages while Nanoha seems to be surveying the area. She mumbles something incoherent to herself.

"What is it?" That grabs her attention.

"Huh? Oh, I just thought this area looked familiar."

"You've been here before?"

"Ah, not here, specifically. I had lunch with Fate-chan there." She points to one of the more fancy restaurants on the other side of the street. _If memory serves me right, Fate likes that restaurant._ "Yesterday." I hum thoughtfully to myself, which earns a slight glare from my friend.

"What?" Her eyes narrow slightly.

"She really does take you everywhere, huh?" Nanoha doesn't bite back a reply and instead lowers her head to hide her blush; perhaps I forgot to make my voice a little bit more teasing than serious. Either that or she just can't come up with a comeback. "Well anyway." I change the subject. "What're you going to get?"

"I'm not quite sure." My friend flips through the menu, searching for something appetizing. Vita-chan pokes my arm to get my attention.

"I want this!" She smiles happily at the picture of an ice-cream sundae. Lathered in chocolate syrup. Before I can even comment, "_Please_, Hayate?" The little red-head begs rather adorably.

"Only if you eat your vegetables for a week." I challenge; she frowns. _It's really not much of a challenge, considering that Vita-chan eats them everyday. Just with a bit of persuasion. _

"Fine." She huffs, glaring at the ground. I proceed to pet her head, which causes a wave of grumbling my way.

"So Nanoha-chan, decided yet?"

"Ah, umm..." She fidgets nervously in her seat. "Well, you see..." A cough. "Ikindofdon'thavemoneyrightnow." Another cough. It takes a while to sink in.

"Wha- well. I could pay for you, I guess." _Lucky. Fate-chan gave me some extra money- wait. I think I get it._ A smirk. "How have you been eating much less living if you don't have money?"

"Uhh. Nyaha...ha..." My brunette friend scratches her cheek nervously.

_o o o o o o_

**Nanoha**

"Ugh, talk about embarrassing." I lean my forehead against the cool metal locker.

We decided to do a bit of window shopping after breakfast which resulted in lots of teasing by my short haired friend. _Especially when we were at the lingerie store. _After a couple hours, Vita-chan started to yawn, so Hayate-chan took her home. She even gave her little cousin a piggy back ride; it was rather cute. And I headed off to where I am now, the Red Rose.

"Why does she always tease me about Fate-chan anyway." A defeated sigh. "Okay well, living with your boss isn't exactly inconspicuous, or cooking for each other, ...or paying for... okay, fine. But this is all relatively normal, right? I mean, don't friends do this all the time?" _No, well. I'm not even sure if Fate-chan counts as a friend. I mean, I would like to be friends with her but- well, I can never tell with her._ "And anyway, I haven't seen her all day. Well, whatever. Time to work."

I greet the other hostesses that I see, along with Signum and Zafira. Business is bustling as usual, with a line slowly forming at the entrance. I've always wondered what drew people to these kinds of places. They could easily go to a bar instead; maybe it's the company. Other people's talking that relieves stress and creates a comfortably inviting atmosphere. I chuckle to myself. _That makes this place seem sort of romantic._

There's a light tap on my shoulder. I turn around to face a familiar set of features: long blond hair tied up neatly into a ponytail and porcelain white skin.

"Fate..." My voice trails off as I slowly recognize that this isn't the person I expected.

"Hmm." His emerald orbs glisten thoughtfully. "You said the exact same thing the last time we met. Do you really think it's fate?" His voice is gently teasing.

"Uhhm, no. That's not what I meant."

"Do you mind if I sit here?" He questions after already sitting.

"Umm, no. Go ahead." A nod as he places a couple of empty glasses on the table in front of us.

"So we meet again." I laugh.

"Ah... so we do."

"Never quite got your name..." He flashes a charming smile.

"I never gave it to you." The blond makes an 'ah' expression, then extends his hand towards me.

"Yuuno Scrya." I shake his hand. _He seems... nice._

"Scrya-san..."

"You can just call me Yuuno." He voices rather pleasantly.

"Yuuno-kun, then." An approving nod.

"And what should I call you?" Yuuno prods; I smirk.

"Shiroi."

_o o o o o o_

**Fate**

A sleek black satin dress hugs my body, showing off my figure. The edges of the v-neck are adorn with a silver embroidery, and the openings on the sides are held together with rings. Slightly below the waist, the black fabric falls elegantly to the floor, accented by the side slit that ends mid-thigh. A rather eye-catching dress, I must admit. The fancy restaurant definitely adds points, along with the rest of the aristocratic details that accompany it: the privacy provided for each party, private waiters, classy menus, chandeliers, wooden paneled floors, murals on the ceiling. But, perhaps, I imagined a different scenario. At least. I never imagined I'd be wearing the dress for him. Of all people. Across from me is a middle-aged man with various grays threaded in with his short blond hair. A tidy, black conservative suit outfits him, along with a tie checkered with shades of gray.

"It's been so long since we've seen each other. You look lovely today, Fate." I nod politely.

"And you as well, Scrya-san." He smiles a bit too happily.

"I suppose a few years of unpolished lifestyle isn't enough to make you act like the underprivileged. I was a bit worried; this morning you seemed a bit, ...ah, unrefined." I smile sweetly. _Fuck you._

"Unrefined? If that is what worries you, perhaps you could explain something to me?"

_o o o o o o_

**Nanoha**

"I didn't know you worked here." The blond examines the club.

"Well, you can't say we ever actually talked." I state matter-of-factly.

"That's true." A light laugh. "Perhaps we can change that." His green eyes look directly at me; I break away from his gaze as my face heats up.

"Mm, well. Maybe." He beams an enchanting smile.

"Alright. A toast!" Yuuno lifts a half-full glass towards me. "To new encounters and friendships!" A slow smile spreads across my face as I lift my own glass to clink against his.

"To new encounters and friendships." I repeat. The blond downs his drink while I take a sip of mine.

_o o o o o o_

**Fate**

"I don't quite see why you're helping him with his little host club escapade."

"I think it would be an eye-opening experience for him. He needs to interact more with various kinds of people."

"To widen his scope for marriage?"

"Well that is the goal. He'll understand the differences between us and them."

"In a host club." I deadpan.

"What better place than a host club?" _...Right, sorry... forgot who I was talking to..._

"So he can find someone of interest."

"Well, in the long run, yes."

"By going to a host club..." I am so very tired of trying to understand his thinking.

"The idea is that Yuuno realizes he can do much better and aims higher up."

"What if he gets stuck? What if he ends up liking one of the girls there?"

"Well, that's why I want him to go to your host club. You've always looked after him, so you can continue to do so."

"What?" _He's not suggesting what I think he is,... right?_

"You get to determine whether she's good enough for him. And you'll act accordingly."

"You mean... _I_ have to either break them up or keep them together?"

"Yes."

"Why? I think he's old enough that I don't have to hold his hand every step of the way."

_o o o o o o_

**Nanoha**

"You like your job?"

"Hm, well... there are benefits." A vague answer. _Like mooching off my boss._

"I didn't know these types of jobs came with benefits." He mumbles to himself.

"So how long have you been working?"

"Ahh, well, just barely a week. It's pretty temporary."

"Temporary?"

"Summer job."

"Hmmm. Summer benefits?" He frowns slightly, turning the phrase around in his head.

"What?"

"So that means I won't be able to see you after break? You're kind of like those 'summer special' type deals?" My eyes knit together a little. _Did he just..._

"You know..."

"Hmm?"

"You remind me of someone."

"Oh? Do tell."

"You have that same attitude."

"Who?" He looks absolutely ecstatic. _I am not complimenting you. At all._

"Nyahaha, well I'm going to go refill our drinks. Any requests?" Yuuno frowns slightly before replying.

"Right. Well, it better be the same hostess when I get my refill." I laugh while heading towards the bar.

_o o o o o o_

**Fate**

"What do you think of him, Fate? You saw him yesterday, am I correct?"

"Yuuno? Hmm, well 'he really hasn't changed much' is what I thought."

"Sadly, yes. And that is why he needs you." _Because he failed to grow up?_

"Really." I state in obvious disbelief.

"Although you always fought over the same things, whether it was toys or pets, both of you need each other. It's been like that ever since you two were young, and I doubt that will ever change."

"Well, we did fight, but I remember giving him my toys and pets, in the end." He chuckles.

"You always did spoil him." I try my best to suppress my urge to club Scrya-san. Right. Now. Another sickly sweet smile forms on my face.

"So it'll be like my childhood. All over again."

"Yes, all over again."

_o o o o o o_

After the dinner meeting, Scrya-san gives me a lift back home. As soon as the door closes, my facade falls; I lean my back against the door and sigh. Arf trots up to me, nudging my hand gently. I give her an affectionate smile and a rub on the head.

"Miss me?" Her tail wags eagerly. "Alright, let me get changed first." I lounge around the house for a couple hours in a tank top and jeans, flipping through channels and running my hands through Arf's soft fur. Yelling or hitting something would probably release my irritation and anger a lot faster; however, slowly but surely, my irritability dissolves in the comforts of my home.

_o o o o o o_

**Nanoha**

"So anyway, what is your name?" Yuuno asks in somewhat of a slur.

"I can't tell."

"Why not?"

"Rules." I smile.

"Rules are meant to be broken. C'mon." He puts his arm over my shoulder; I chuckle a little.

"Fine."

"Hmm?" He hums in my ear.

"Shiroi." I giggle as his face brushes against mine. The scent of alcohol wafts about, but he feels really warm. Nice. My eyes close slowly.

And suddenly I feel him jerk away from me. Rather quickly. The sight that greets me is... well, Fate.

**Fate**

Blood clashes with emerald. "Out. _Now_." I wait; he doesn't move. _Now is perhaps one of the worst moments to try my patience, Yuuno._ I reach for his wrist, and grab it rather easily; he seems surprisingly docile. _Or intoxicated. Well, whatever. This makes things a bit simpler._ We, or rather I dragging him behind me, head towards the door. The green-eyed blond stumbles a bit behind me, trying to keep up with my pace. The cool midnight breeze does nothing to diminish my anger. As I let go of him, I take a deep breath to calm myself down.

"What are you doing here?" My voice is laced in irritation.

"Is it wrong-"

"Why. The. Fuck. Are. You. Here." I repeat slower, angrier, to pull him out of his drunken euphoria. He laughs; I instantly grab his shirt collar and push him roughly against the wall.

"You are, by far, the _last_ person I want to see right now." He smiles smugly.

"And what are you going to do?" My fists tightens.

"Punch me? Ha." Another deep breath; my fists slowly relax, and I take a step back.

"You're drunk. I'll get you a cab." _I'm just so tired. Of dealing with you. Your father. _While digging through my pockets I realize that I didn't bring my cellphone with me. _Fuck._ "Yuuno. Cellphone?" The blond fumbles through his pockets, unearthing said phone which I use to call a taxi. I stand next to him, leaning against the building exterior. "I thought you said you'd talk to him." He doesn't respond. "You can't have your father doing everything for you-"

"Shut. Up." He turns sharply to face me. "Don't you dare lecture me. Who do you think you are?!" My eyes narrow slightly. A sigh, and another step back. _Again._

"Your cab's here." _All over again. _Yuuno shoves past me rather forcefully. I refuse to turn around and watch him leave. Instead, I close my eyes, and wait for the footsteps to end, the door to click shut, and the engine of the car to take him far, far away.

A slow sigh. "It really is like my fucking childhood all over again." Then a smile. "I thought I'd gotten away from it... guess not."

_o o o o o o_

**Nanoha**

I quickly change back into my normal attire and sit in the locker room, slightly afraid to go back outside. _What was that? Did... they know each other? It seemed like it, anyway. They didn't seem to like each other much either._

"Fate-chan?!" I hear Hayate's panicked voice. "What happened to your hand?!" _What?_ I run up to the door but pause before opening. _It's alright. _After a deep breath, I open the door. "Ah, Nanoha-chan! Quick, could you get the first aid kit in the locker room? In the 'supply' locker."

"Huh..? Right..." I quickly dart back in, rummage through the locker and find a bright red box with a white cross. I head towards the kitchen, where Hayate-chan and Fate's voices intertwine. Her voice is gentle and comforting, the complete opposite of Hayate's frantic worried one.

"It's really not that serious, Hayate." My boss seems to find the whole thing entertaining or something because she's sort of laughing.

"Not serious my ass. You. Idiot. What were you thinking?!" My short-haired friend scolds angrily.

"Really,... just calm down."

They're both hovering over the kitchen sink, clear water flowing mercilessly onto one of the blond's hands, mixing with her crimson, creating a pink concoction as it drains. And then... I realize. She's bleeding. I fumble through the kit, looking for bandages, disinfectants and in doing so, drop the kit. It clatters against the hard floor, catching both of their attention.

"Ah, Nanoha-chan," Hayate responds. "Are you okay?"

"I... need to find the bandages." I sink to the ground, shuffling my fingers through the assorted items.

Hayate helps me, also combing through the spilled kit. Fate sighs tiredly.

"It's really not that serious. Calm down you two." She turns off the faucet and lifts her hand out of the sink, and I notice that it's really not that bad. Nothing like a glass cut or missing fingers or anything that gruesome. Just a lot of small scratches and scrapes. Nonetheless. It hurts. It hurts just to look.

We finally do get Fate's hand bandaged up. Hayate found the bandages and disinfectants and applied them mercilessly, scolding the blond the entire time. Fate just smiled and laughed lightly at the whole situation, as if it was a common occurrence. She didn't even flinch when her left hand was drenched in disinfectant.

_o o o o o o_

The sound of gravel crunching under the soles of our shoes is the only sound between us as we walk; It's the normal silence of her company.

"Fate-chan?" No answer. "What happened? To your hand." She hums thoughtfully to herself.

"Nothing. Hayate was just overreacting." The blond says rather dismissively. Somehow that rubs me the wrong way, and I reach out and grab her hand, pulling her to a stop and turning her towards me.

"Stop acting so fucking arrogant!" My hands clench tightly.

"Uh-"

"God. You're so impossible! Can't you see that Hayate-chan cares about you?! She worries about you! I. Even I worry about you. You can't just brush off your friends like that!" Fate takes a while to respond.

"Umm-" Another slow response.

"What?!"

"Your hand..." She lifts her bandaged hand up in front of me, and in doing so I notice that I had grabbed her injured hand and had proceeded to crush it rather mercilessly. I release my grip immediately.

"Ah!" My head lowers in embarrassment.

"I'll have to clean the wound again." The blond states to herself.

"S-Sorry." I mumble an apology. A weight, her hand, places itself on my head, causing me to look back up. She gives a charming half-smile.

"And. Since when were we ever friends?" Her normal sarcasm is back.

"Uhm. Er, I meant-" Fate ruffles my head, then proceeds to continue walking.

"Let's go home. Friend."

_o o o o o o_

**Fate**

After we finally get home, we go take our separate showers. After carefully drying myself, I slip on my black lace nightgown and head towards the living room with my treatment kit in hand.

"-this really great person. Well... I'm working now, maybe a little later? Alright, talk to you soon. Bye." I hear the end of the conversation, choosing to ignore it and sit on the other side of the couch as the brunette clicks the phone shut. "Ah, Fate-chan. I'll help you bandage your hand." She proceeds to grab my kit and scoot next to me. A bit too close for my liking.

"I see my new friend wants to help." I deadpan. "Even though she's the reason I need to redo this."

"Mou!" Nanoha pouts. "Just give me your hand." I comply quietly and watch her redress the wound. She's gentle. A bit different from Hayate. But then again, Hayate was a bit pissed at me... And then she obviously can't just stay quiet. Ever. "Why don't you ever call me Nanoha?" A rather innocent question.

"Oh? What's wrong with 'friend'?" Her eyes narrow.

"Nanoha."

"Takamachi-san is being unreasonable, isn't she?" I nudge the sleeping Arf at the foot of the couch. The red-furred dog grunts before dozing off to sleep again. Nanoha steams silently while she finishes bandaging my hand. Afterwards, at some point, she wanders off to her bedroom, and I search for my cellphone. I find it splayed rather carelessly on the breakfast table, of all places. Considering that I remember distinctly leaving it in my bedroom. A sigh. _Roomates. _As I head towards my room, light streams through the slightly ajar guest room's door. Inside, I find my new friend fast asleep, on top of her blankets no less.

"It's like she was knocked out..." My feet carry me over to the bed. Seconds tick by, then minutes. A sigh. I gently roll the brunette off the covers and tuck her in, careful not to wake her; she mumbles a bit, but not much else.

I sit on the edge of her bed, watching her sleep. Her chest rises and falls, a repeating rhythmic pattern.

"Nanoha." a whisper; I test out her name. A soft smile. "Next time, at least try to get into the bed."

* * *

**a/n:** So I know it must probably suck. Considering I haven't updated in months. And now there's suddenly yuuno/nanoha. =/ Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.

Hopefully the scrya-san thing at the beginning, you recognize as yuuno's father? If not, what's a better way to present it?  
Anyway, hopefully the constant POV change isn't too annoying. If it is, suggestions?

i'll re-edit/comment on review after i get some sleep. Night.

**Edited**: nothing too drastic changed. A little more description in the latter parts of the chapter.  
Major Mike Powell III: and yuuno's screen time continues to increase... lol  
lildevilish: yes, yes. Yuuno definitely will/has hit on nanoha.  
BPHaru: hmm, well I don't see yuuno as necessarily the 'bad guy' character.  
Lucia-Rozen: hmm, was Fate jealous when yuuno hit on nanoha? I left it rather ambiguous on purpose.  
Chelitagirl: at least one of your questions was answered this chapter. everything else you can continue to speculate. =D

so I found out recently that I can reply to reviews...via something. I forget. So at some point i'll slowly start converting to that method. Maybe. If i'm not too lazy/accidentally delete my emails. Thanks for all the crits/reviews. Nice to know you guys are enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it =D  
sort of got my summer schedule all straightened out, so i have a bit more time to write.


	9. Day 9 Tuesday

**Nanoha**

_Ring. Ring. Vvvvvb._

"Mmm..." my arms reach out of the covers fumbling quite blindly over towards my cellphone and the horribly offensive noises it emits. Grabbing the pink device, I flip it open, and methodically press the end button, as usual, to turn off the alarm. A quiet yawn as I drop the phone rather carelessly on the floor and slowly drift off to sleep.

_Ring. Ring. Vvvvb._

Or not...

_Ring. Ring. Vvvvb._

Wait. But my phone isn't...

_Ring. Ring-_

"...Whu..." A forceful jerk into a sitting position. Looking at plastic and metal lump on the floor, I confirm that the noise isn't coming from my phone. So where is it coming from? My eyes scan the room slowly, resting on a familiar black device.

"Oh. Shit." Panic races through me as I throw off the covers and grab my generic phone from the Rose, and flip it open. There's a light 'click' sound as the cover snaps up.

"H-Hello?" A deep breath. "Shiroi speaking." I rub my eyes tiredly.

"..." A yawn.

"...Hello...?" _I wasn't... too late, was I?_

Silence. A frown. I look at the phone's screen rather blankly. Sleep still hovering around me as I attempt to concentrate on the text.

Then.

**Oh.**

**It's a text message.**

"You're up early." my boss comments plainly as I shuffle into the kitchen, parking myself comfortably in the seat across from her. But her tone says otherwise. Almost as if she's actually saying, 'you get up early?'.

"Fate-chan?" My body leans forward a little and my eyes focus on her intently.

"Hmm...?" Her eyes never leaving the paper. A hand slowly lifts a cup of tea to her lips, taking a sip.

"When you're going out with someone, what do you do?" Her body tenses.

There is a strangely suffocating silence. Then she slowly, places the cup back on the table and looks at me, rather irritatedly.

"Ask someone else."

"What? But I really want to know." She scratches the back of her head, maybe out of embarrassment? Then a quiet sigh.

"This is a rather inappropriate morning conversation to have with your friend." ...huh?

"...ohh-Oh. No, uh, I meant. I mean, n-not the other- if you go out on a date and stuff. What do you normally do?" A frown.

"What is this? Some sort of perverse interrogation? Why are you asking me this stuff?"

"Oh. One of my customers requested a date." A long sigh.

"Next time I suggest you start with a sentence structure along the lines of, 'someone from worked requested a date; what do I do?'" She looks at me expectantly.

"Oh. Uhm. 'Someone from work requested a date; what do I do?'" I repeat rather dumbly. She gives me another irritated look.

"So, what? You don't know how to go out on dates?"

"Well..." I trail off. Silence. Then.

"You've _never_ been on a date." She deadpans.

"You don't have to word it like that..." I lay my head on the cool table, and pout. She laughs.

"That's rather sad."

"Help me out here~" I plead, turning my gaze to her.

"And what do you propose _I_ do?" She asks in this tone that insinuates that there's absolutely nothing she can do. I ponder my options for a bit, and then it hits me.

A smirk plays on my lips.

_o o o o o o_

I smile at her expectantly. The blond tries her best to ignore me, but with every glance in my direction, her irritation increases tenfold. The seconds tick by, and then,

"No." Blunt. Straight forward. My expression instantly drops.

"Aww come on." I beg rather pathetically, reaching over and tugging on her shirt sleeve. "Why not?" A pitiful whine. _Like a puppy._ She retracts her arm out of my reach as roughly as possible.

"Ask Hayate."

"But you asked what _you_ could do. And I'm saying you can do this. And it would help me out a lot." I stand rather indignantly with a pout. Another glance in my direction.

"No. Why don't you go watch a chick flick. That's bound to educate you tons." Sarcasm drips with every word. She turns back to her paper, indicating that the conversation is over. A frown.

"That's not the same." I mutter to myself. I walk over to her side and tug on her sleeve again. _I'm not giving up._

"Fate-chan. Come onnn."

"No." I pull her paper out of her hands, placing it on the table.

"Please?" A whine.

"No." Her hands go for the paper, but I stop them, holding them in mine.

"Pretty please?" I continue with that pathetic voice.

"I said 'no'. What don't you under-" our eyes meet, ruby red and lavender.

"Pleasseee. Come on. It won't be so baddd. Look. I'll behave and everything."

By this point I'm practically latched onto her waist. Making pitiful whining noises, blocking her exit from the kitchen as well as impeding her movement. She looks rather unnerved. _Well, who wouldn't._

"You-" I look up at her with the most pitiful expression I can muster.

"Please, Fate-chan? Just once. You just have to do it once." I feel I have made a rather convincing argument. If begging equates to some sort of argument.

Then there's a slight sigh as she breaks our eye contact, looking off to the side, and I know I've won.

"Are you always like this when you want something?" A rather tired, defeated voice, if I may say so. A pause.

"Does that mean a 'yes'?" I reply with a bright smile, which results in her petting my head.

"You really do act like a dog." A sigh. "I suppose, once is alright."

"Yay." I cheer ecstatically, while removing myself promptly from her waist. I repark myself on my seat. Watching as my boss turns her attention back to the paper as if what just happened was an everyday occurrence. Maybe it's at this point, my brain sort of starts to wake up a bit. Because it suddenly hits me that what I just did was rather embarassing. On an immense level. Thank god no one else was watching. I could just imagine the teasing I'd have to endure. _If my parents could see me now..._

I usually don't, well. Beg. It's a bit demeaning, but it seemed like the right thing to do at the moment. I don't quite know why. In fact, most of what I do around Fate-chan is a bit different than how I act normally. Like how I sleep in late at her house. But normally i'm an early riser. I wonder what kind of impression I give to her. Though I suppose she did say I act like a dog...

my eyes wander onto Arf.

"I act like Arf...?" The canine lifts her head up at the mention of her name. The crunching sound of a page of the newspaper being turned follows. Then.

"Arf is ten times the dog you'll ever be." I'm not quite sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult.

_o o o o o o_

"How long are you going to stay in there?" The voice drifts from the other side of the door. It's laced in that familiarly irritated tone. Impatient.

"Just! hold on a bit. I'm. Almost. done- Eep!" I'm not quite sure what happened. But when I opened my eyes, somehow I ended up sprawled on the bathroom floor. "Ugh." I mumble to myself, slowly raising myself back up. "That was quite the elegant fall, Nanoha, great job." A grumble.

"... you're not dying in there or anything, right? It'd be a pain to hide the body." the blond states in the most uncaring tone. Although her voice is closer to the door now.

My cheeks puff out, not that she can see. "I'm fine!" I huff. Glaring at myself in the mirror.

"I'll meet you outside. Preferably sometime this year." And I hear the click of the front door shutting.

"Mou! Why is she always like this?!" I stare daggers at my reflection. I splash some cool water on my face and take a deep breath. A moment of darkness. Silence. My eyes open slowly, refocusing on the image of myself before it. A shaky breath. My arm climbs up and rests against my cheek. Lavender blue eyes. Pale skin tinted a slight rosy color. Unsteady breathing. _What..? _"Why... am I so nervous?" I splash water on my face a couple more times, dry off, and head outside. _Just a pair of casual capris and a tank top should be okay... right?_

As I close the front door, Fate looks up at me from the bottom of the staircase.

"Took you long enough, princess." If I didn't understand the word princess, I'd think it was some sort of vile creature, with the way she's saying it.

"You know. You were pretty reluctant to do this. But." I pause. For dramatic effect.

"What?" her eyes narrow.

"You're actually excited about this date aren't you?" I grin happily. She smirks, reaching out to pat my head, which seems to have become a habit. Somehow.

"The way I see it." She pauses. To mock my attempt at creating a dramatic effect. And proceeds to walk down the sidewalk. I have to jog a little to catch up to her, and when I do. "The less of my time you waste, the better." I fume silently next to her.

We continue walking for a while, she's slowed down her pace a bit so I can keep up but somehow she's still leading the way.

"A date... huh?" she mumbles to herself. I doubt I was supposed to hear that, so I don't respond. A quiet sigh. "So, what do you want to do?" her voice is surprisingly... _different. _That's the feeling I get. Even though the tone and everything about it seems... normal? I suppose. Something seems different.

"Ah. Uhm. I just thought I'd go wherever you wanted..." _She's... _I somehow manage a relatively coherent reply. Fate frowns slightly.

"That's sweet, but it's hardly a date if I drag you all over the place." That strangely polite voice. _Fate would never say that normally. _

"I-I see..." I reply lamely. _She's..._ "Umm. Then. How about a movie?" another pitiful response.

"Hmm. Alright. The theater's pretty close by and there was this one I wanted to watch." _She's... really different. _"Was there anything you wanted to watch?" _She's being... considerate? Nice?_

"Huh? Ah. I sort of wanted to watch UP." I offer.

"Really? That's the one I wanted to see." _It's all very disorienting._

After we, I mean, she, buys a pair of tickets, we head into the theater room. It's dark, but crowded. Extremely so. Not that people mean to be impolite, but they're pushing and shoving. At some point I trip into Fate. A squeak as I grab her arm for support. She turns to look at me. Instead of a sarcastic comment, I get:

"Are you alright?"

"Wha- uhh. Yeah. Umm. Sorry." I release my grip and lower my head in embarrassment. A low chuckle. I feel something brush up against my hand and stiffen reflexively; her fingers slowly interlace with mine as I relax into her touch. She pulls me lightly in her direction.

"Come on. We need to get good seats." _but it's not... unpleasant._

I can barely see in the darkened room. In fact, the only things I can see are the reflections of light that flicker off objects, people, anything. Whether I can actually see it or not, the feeling of her hand is warm. And not unpleasant in the slightest.

_o o o o o o_

After the movie, we head on over to a relatively small park. I was told to wait at one of the benches, and then Fate proceeded to wander off somewhere, stating she'd be back in a little while. With not much to do but wait, my mind wanders.

It's been bothering me for a while. Although she's been really nice and considerate and basically everything that I dont really associate with the Fate I know. I wonder how much of what she's doing is acting. Although it'd be nice if she wasn't. But the chances of that are so slim.

_I wonder if she treats everyone she goes out with like that..._

_that must be nice..._

_I wonder if she has a boyfriend._ But then again. She probably doesn't. She hasn't been calling anyone a lot... or going out a lot. Well, then again. I'm not around her all the time. Just when I'm around her she's not calling anyone. Or anything like that.

_So._

_Maybe she does have a boyfriend? She certainly knows how to act the part..._

"What's with that frown?" Her voice pulls me back into reality. My eyes focus on the light smile. "Here. Take it before it melts all over me." She places an ice-cream cone in front of me. I take it with a nod.

"Thanks." A smile. _Chocolate._

"We should actually eat lunch first..." She trails off. "But, well, every once in a while is fine. I suppose." She sits down next to me, licking her own treat.

"Fate-chan..." She hums in response. "Thanks. For today." I say rather softly. I take a bite out of my cone. Silence.

"So, that's it?" She gazes at me intently.

"Huh?"

"Our 'date' is over." She clarifies.

"Yeah." A nod. Silence. Again.

"Any questions? Or did you get everything?" _Why... does it sound like... _

"You were _acting_ the entire time?!" Her eyes narrow; instantly changing her from the pleasant girl into the Fate-chan I'm familiar with.

"Wasn't I supposed to be giving you pointers?" Why is it that even though I had the suspicion that it was all an act, it doesn't make the fact that she was acting any easier to come to terms with.

"W-wait. So the. The. Polite. Ness. Was all fake?" I huff.

"You should make sure the date has a comfortable atmosphere."

"And. The... the _touching _too?!" She frowns.

"Don't make it sound like I was doing something inappropriate."

"B-But you were touching me!" Fate snaps back rather quickly.

"Hey. I was holding your hand. Not fondling you."

"And. You did the whispering thing."Images of her face leaning extremely close to mine resurface, along with her breath tingling against my ear.

"We were obviously in a theater. I didn't want to raise my voice and get yelled at."

I chomp the remainder of the cone. Eating it as if it pains me. I cross my arms, glaring at the ground. She gives a rather audible sigh. Then stands and walks up in front of me. My eyes glare at her shoes.

"Here. I'll make it up to you." The blond states absently, probably thinking up a stupid compensation. I don't respond. "I'll treat you to lunch? Anywhere you want." she offers. I huff.

"I don't need your fucking pity." I stand and start stomping away, but she grabs my arm swiftly. I pull against her, but her grip tightens, to the point where it's slightly hurting.

"Lunch." She tries again. Her voice has a hint of tightness in it.

"I'm not hungry." I bite back, pulling against her again. All I want is space. To think. Why am I overreacting. Why am I acting this way. Why do I care. It's all so confusing.

Somehow she grabs my other arm as well, twisting me to face her.

"Nanoha!" An exasperated yell. I just know she's glaring at me. But I refuse to look at her. Instead, I'm looking at the way her hands are wrapped around mine. Her grip slackens a bit.

"Nanoha." Her voice is softer. That gentle tone she uses sometimes. "I'll buy you lunch, alright?" she asks gently. _Fuck you._ _Don't think that just because you said my name or that you're stronger than I am that I won't give up without a fight. You're the worst. I hate you. _All these thoughts race through my mind, trying to choose something to yell at her. Anything. But all I can manage is a nod. And a soft,

"Okay."

She tugs me in her direction, holding my arm just in case I suddenly run off or something, I think. After a couple minutes, she lets go and I trail behind her silently. Staring at the soles of her feet hitting cement. My thoughts are a whirl of just confusion. I have no idea why I'm still following her. I'm still mad, that much is sure, so I could just leave. I should just leave. But I'm not. Oddly enough. My eyes move up and follow her hand, swaying back and forth. And I have this sudden urge to reach out. She doesn't stop walking, but she does look back at me briefly. Then proceeds to give a slight tug, pulling me to her side.

"Cooled off?" She prods.

"I'm still made at you, you know." I counter. She gives a half-smirk.

"Nanoha."

"Don't think you're off the hook just because you're saying my name now." I huff.

"Either way. It still makes you happy. Nanoha." she adds the last part as a mock. I give her hand a light squeeze.

_o o o o o o_

**Fate**

After a bit of a late lunch, I walk her over to the Rose and head back home. The walk back was refreshingly quiet. Not that I dislike noise... or conversing during walks...

I spend a bit of time playing with Arf. Or more on the lines of prodding her awake every time she's about to fall asleep. Well, I doubt it really counts as playing, but it's entertaining nonetheless. Though my red furred friend seems rather perturbed by the whole situation. She's very adjustable, and ends up just ignoring me and sleeping. I give her a light kiss on the head since she looks so adorable.

After a while of just lounging around the house, my eyes wander towards the bathroom, where a nice warm shower awaits me. The warm water causes my shoulders to relax and a sigh to escape my lips.

_I suppose it's really useful. Being able to read people. But it's tiresome. It comes with a whole set of other decisions that have to be made. Knowing how to do what when. Deciding whether it's worth it or not to cater to their emotions._

_Speaking of which. What are the chances that the one that asked her out for a date was Yuuno...? I'd probably say 90%. He seems to be rather fond of her. On some level or another._

_And what would that equate to? Me being the ever watchful childhood friend. Nanoha's a nice girl... she's not bad in anyway... I don't think. She'd be good for him... at least straighten him out a bit. Well, if it happens, then it happens. Not as if it's really any of my business. As long as she doesn't start bringing him over to my house._

I let out a sigh.

"Somehow, the thought of that pisses me off..."_ A little more than it should._

The shower faucet squeaks shut, and I watch the droplets of water drip off my hair and fall to the ground. After a few minutes, I grab my towel. As I'm drying my hair, I find myself looking at myself through a mirror. A pair of ruby red orbs stare blankly back at me.

"What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine. Is the Scrya motto." A slight chuckle.

"And I suppose I just got stuck in the middle of it." A smile. "To think it was just because of one favor. One favor cost me a lifetime of hell." My reflection frowns. A pause, and then it asks,

"Was it worth it?" A smirk.

"Hell yes."

_o o o o o o_

After a nice quiet dinner a bit more of lounging around in the living room, I doze off a bit on my couch. By the time I wake, it's well past midnight... by a couple hours, to be exact.

..._Shit._ _I'm supposed to pick Nanoha up at the Rose. _A sigh.

"She can wait a few extra minutes." My feet carry me towards my closet; I put on my coat, grab her white one, and head out. _It's not as if I'm going to late...either. There's no need for me to get there early anyway. _But my feet carry me to my destination quickly anyway.

When I arrive at the Rose, it's unusually packed. Not that I mind having more business... but it probably means that Yuuno is here. As well as his multitude of bodyguards and whatnot. If the dark suits and sunglasses give any indication. I walk in rather quietly, observing my employees as well as the clients. _I suppose it's better to check up on the place during work hours to see how everyone and everything is faring. Speaking of which, there is Yuuno._

His blond hair sways as he saunters over to... as I guessed, Nanoha. My eyes stay on her figure for a while longer. _She doesn't seem... upset._

"Well... as long as she's enjoying herself, it should be fine." I head over to the bar, parking myself on one of the stools.

"Well, well, well, look who decided to show up." The pink-haired bartender states rather sarcastically. I hum in reply.

"Thought maybe I'd visit the place for once." Signum furrows her eyebrows and gives me a disapproving stare for quite a while.

"Get me a drink, will you? It's rather suffocating in here." I tug the collar of my blouse to emphasize my point. She smirks.

"Which of our two under-aged options would you prefer, boss? Apple cider or water?" After a quick glare, I tap the counter with my fingers in thought.

"Water, please." Signum gives a curt nod.

"As you wish." The pink-haired bartender goes about gathering a glass cup and filling it with water as well as a few pieces of ice. She places the refreshment in front of me. "I don't see why you're forcing yourself to be here; you dislike the atmosphere."

"Waiting outside at midnight in the cold isn't as spectacular as you'd think." I take a sip of the chilled beverage.

"Hmm. Since when do you wait for anyone?" She continues to converse with me while drying a stack of cups.

"When that person is having way too much fun with her clients to realize her shift is over." A quick glance.

"Ah, you mean Nanoha-san. Yes, she seems to be rather enjoying herself." Signum's drying of a cup stops suddenly. "Speaking of which, he is allowed in here?" She nods in the direction of Yuuno.

"His father gave me all the lovely paperwork yesterday."

"For all of them?" Her blue eyes flicker around the room.

"Ah, you mean the bodyguards. Well, here's to hoping he doesn't show up everyday." A frown.

"Let's hope." A thought strikes me.

"Oh, and try not to give him alcohol. Since, apparently, I'm responsible for his actions."

"Taking up babysitting again?" A hollow laugh.

"You have no idea." I take another sip of my drink.

_o o o o o o_

I walk slowly towards the familiar blond and brunette. From the angle of my approach, neither can see me, or rather, they're probably too preoccupied with each other to notice me. Yuuno seems to be rather fond of Nanoha, and she in turn is trying to keep their conversation civil, in other words, his hands from wandering. I give the lavender-eyed hostess a couple taps on her shoulder. She flinches, hurriedly standing up and greeting me.

"F-Fate-chan." The other one, losing his play thing, promptly stands as well, giving me his own version of a greeting.

"Y-You again!" He points rather accusingly.

"Ready to go?" I effortlessly ignore one of them.

"O-Of course! W-Woah, look at the time. I'll be right back!" She's a flustered wreck, quickly dashing into the employee locker room. The remaining two of us watch her disappear behind a door.

"So." I catch his attention. "Enjoying your time here?" A dashingly insincere smile.

"Until you appeared." Yuuno retorts rather hotly.

"Ah, is that so." A polite bow. "My sincerest apologies. Have you thought of, perhaps, changing to a different host club?" Another smile. At this point, I'm pretty sure Yuuno's near his limit of ridicule, so I let up. "Oh, and by the way. Any chance you can get rid of the guards? They take up valuable space and air." My tone goes from a disgusting sweet to a slight venomous tinge. His emerald orbs seem rather confused, probably in the sudden change of topic, but he straightens himself out soon enough.

"I'll see what I can do. They're an eyesore." _That's one thing we have in common._

"Alright, well then. I will take my leave." I head off towards the figure emerging from the locker room door.

"F-Fate-chan. Sorry about that." She bows a couple times. Silently, I hand her the white parka I've been holding. Nanoha quickly slips it on and we head out into the night.

After a couple minutes of peaceful silence, my companion breaks it. Shatters it thoroughly. _Can I just have one walk. Just one. In silence._

"Did you two fight?"

"That's rather vague. 'You two'...."

"You and Yuu-Scrya-san." A failed save.

"No, we didn't fight." _Much. _She hums thoughtfully.

"I thought the both of you disliked each other..." Her lavender orbs search me expectantly.

"Mm. Well, I wouldn't say I dislike him." My head tilts up towards the night sky. "I suppose our relationship can be considered... complicated." _At least I wouldn't dislike him to the extent that I do if he was his own individual._

"Oh." A glance at her figure.

"You like him?"

"U-U-Whu-why?!" She's staring daggers at me, for some reason.

"Just an innocent question." Silence.

"W-Well." Her face is still burning red. "He's not... mean. I-I don't. Dislike him." Nanoha concludes. A hum in response.

"I thought as much."

"Wh-Wha-Why?" It's as if I'm accusing her or something... or that's how she's taking my responses. _Well, then..._

"You have a paid date with him soon?" A nod.

"Tomorrow, actually."

"Do keep in mind, we have a 'no sex' policy-" She counters rather vehemently, turning to face me.

"I wasn't thinking about that at all! Mou! Why do you-" I place my hand on her head, ruffling through her hair a bit and effectively silencing her; Nanoha gives a cute pout. _I should take note of that._

"-with our clients. So do try to keep him at bay." A grumble.

"You... definitely did that on purpose."

"Unfortunately, it was just you, as usual, jumping to conclusions." My hand returns to my side. "Anyway, where'd you two plan to meet?"

"Um, at the main park." A skeptic look. _Are you serious?_

"Do you know where it is?" A frown.

"Of course I do! It's a bus ride from the university." A sigh.

"Well, I suppose you are technically capable of transferring buses..."

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" Nanoha glowers.

_o o o o o o_

My keys jingle slightly as I push open the door. Arf, tired as she is, looks up at the entering duo without budging from her comfortable bed in the living room. After a moment of realization that both are familiar, she settles back to sleep. As usual, I help Nanoha out of her jacket and hang it as well as my jacket in the closet. And as usual, she still finds it embarrassing when I do that.

We part ways soon afterward; I park myself on the couch and watch a bit of television. By the sounds of the water running, Nanoha is off taking a shower.

Not much is on a little past 2 a.m., as expected. Just a bunch of ridiculously long infomercials. After a while of surfing channels, I give up and decide to sleep. I head off to the kitchen and fill myself a glass of water, gulping it down. As I'm rinsing the cup, Nanoha appears in the vicinity with a towel around her shoulders, drying her hair. Sort of, anyway.

"Ne, Fate-chan..." A glance, to show she has my attention. "Umm, my parents are coming by this weekend."

"And?" _This better not be what I think it is. _I place the cup on the counter and walk towards her.

"They want to meet you." She states with embarrassment written all over her face.

"...Come again?" _What...?_

"They want to meet you." A glare. _I meant clarify, not repeat._

"I'm sure."

"Please? It won't be that big of a deal. Just lunch or dinner together with them." _Ah, the beginnings of Nanoha's beggingfest. _Memories of this morning's bombardment resurface. A sigh.

"Fine. Fine." Her whole expression suddenly bleeds sickeningly with happiness.

"Really?!" Lavender eyes sparkle.

"Just remind me later." Another sigh. In her utter excitement, she offers quite adamantly a hug that I do not want. _Not much, anyway._

What ends up happening is while she is attempting to hug me, I step away. Not a huge amount, but it's enough to make the initiator's movements clumsy. Which of course, ends with her unbalanced and sort of just falling on me. Which in turn causes me to fall with a:

Thud.

_Utter failure on my part. Maybe taking the hug would've been less painful._

With my back facing the floor, I push myself up slowly into a sitting position while the brunette slowly raises herself a little as well. Lavender and Crimson stare back at each other. A smile.

"You need to stop pushing me down every chance you get."

* * *

**a/n:** wow, almost half a year of no update.

no sorry. That last thing I wrote the previous chapter was a lie. I _thought _I had more time to do whatever I wanted. But then summer ended and school started. i wrote half of this at least 3 months ago, so if the writing utterly fails, my deepest apologies.

**edit:** again, my sincerest apologies to all that like this story. i'm still trying to get used to school, so hopefully i can carve some time when i'm not attending lectures/doing hw to write a bit.  
so just a bit more smatterings of words here and there. nothing too drastic to my slow plot.

in other news, late responses to reviews and whatnot:  
NFlove: glad you enjoy the story. :D  
Artistia: ahaha... sorry to say, there was more yuuno/nanoha  
BPHaru: there was less yuuno... but still quite an overload of him. moreso in the background this time.  
Fate Trulygood: there was the hug! well... sort of anyway.  
Major Mike Powell III: hopefully the interactions balance each other out again? maybe...  
KillerQueen118: thank you for the complement. I hope you continue to enjoy the story. :D  
musikazen: haha, the crazyness is about to begin, sort of.  
liz: there was a bit of "background" hinting in this chapter. can't reveal too much :O  
DarkCreature: soon, all will be revealed, maybe XD  
Honulicious: I plan to stick with the story for quite some time. at least my motivation to write for it hasn't disappated. just how long it will take... is the question.  
Syaoran Li Clow: I'm trying to make it realistic. or as much as I can. there are definitely a few handwaves though. Again, thanks. :D  
Elestren: Fate's cuteness is unprecedented. Thanks for the review.  
moonpower02: haha, maybe. :D  
setsuna kobayashi: i'm glad the story has that effect on you. XD  
Queer Prophet: sarcastic fate is best :D

again, thanks for all the reviews. they were all lovely to read. and hopefully i can figure out that other way of replying to reviews... starting from today! i'll try to remember to not delete my emails.

yep, so. happy holidays everyone. and have a great new year! thanks for sticking with the story and the disgusting updating schedule. until next time :D


	10. Day 10 Wednesday

**Fate**

_Knock. Knock._

"Hey..." A pause. "You alright in there...?" My tone is much more confused than worried.

"Yeah, I'm just about do-Eep!"

_Crash._

_Thud._

A sigh. _Déjà vu, eh?_

"I-I'm. A-Alright." Her slightly shaky voice replies. I feel an oncoming headache; my fingers pinch the bridge of my nose.

"Would you mind hurrying it up?" Ah, the familiar tone of irritation. _This is why... people..._

"I told you that you don't have to drive me there! Mou! And you're the one insisting you want to." She sort of yells from the other side of the door.

_What._

My head throbs painfully. _If looks could kill..._

"Did you forget?" My voice icy. "_You're _the one who overslept. So _I'm _the one being considerate." I seethe with anger, but keep my voice relatively level.

Silence.

"S-Sorry." A barely audible guilt-ridden voice.

The door opens slowly, her eyes glued to the ground.

"That was horrible of me; I was being childish. I'm just...nervous." Nanoha whispers the last part, ears reddening. A sigh. _How many is that today?_

"It's just a casual date. Here, look at me." My fingers easily brush up against her cheek before pushing her chin up; lavender and crimson meet. My eyes give her a quick once over. "You're a relatively attractive young lady. It's just a casual event. Just stay confident, and you'll be fine." Her face is heating up. "Alright?" A smile.

_This is why people piss me off._

**I mean.**

**Didn't we just run through the whole process yesterday?**

It is required by society that the boss of any establishment must have a luxury vehicle. That pressure is increased tenfold if one's family background is of a rather high standing. Although, I suppose indulging in these types of activities isn't so bad, I wish I had been a bit more reserved when I chose my car: a sleek black two seater sports car with bright yellow accents; a similarly colored interior..._ahh, sports cars don't have much use in cities. Maybe in couple years I'll move to a large private estate and really test her out. _My thoughts are interrupted by the one standing in awe next to me.

"You have a car." She's like an excited kid, inspecting everything while in the side seat. _If I ever had a kid, I'd hope to god it wouldn't be anything remotely similar to her or I might just up and leave._

"Yes, I said I was going to drive you. The main park, was it?" I'm pulling out of my driveway and onto the street.

"Yeah. But you have a _car_." Nanoha continues emphasizing. She's completely enamored with the bi-colored leather interior, or so it seems.

"...Right."

"But you walk everywhere. I'd probably drive everywhere if I had a car that was this nice." Her wide eyed excitement would be cute, but I'm tired.

A sigh. "I enjoy walking."

"But you have a car." My fingers tap impatiently on the wheel.

"I'll kick you out."

"Sorry." She sulks silently. _Perfect._

A couple minutes into the drive, Nanoha is caught between inspecting the car further or enjoying the passing city scenery.

_Honk!_

She jumps in her seat. Looking out the window she notices a car full of guys pulling up on her side. After getting a look a the occupants in the car, or more specifically, us, they start cat calling too. It's quite a sight, what with their rolled down windows, sly smiles, and popped collars.

"Uhh..." People on the sidewalk are whistling at the car as well. "Does this always happen?" Nanoha sinks in her seat a bit, embarrassment written on her face.

"Just ignore it." A small smile. _Well, maybe a kid like her wouldn't be so bad._

_o o o o o o_

**Nanoha**

As my boss pulls up next to a curb, _Ah, I'm nervous again. _I notice the slight shaking of my hands and clench my fists in the hopes of stabilizing my emotions. _It's alright, it's just a date. Not like I haven't been on one of those, right? Nyahaha... since my first one was... yesterday. It'll be... fine. _

"What time are you meeting Scrya-san?" Her voice brings me back to reality.

"Umm. 11:30."

"It's 11:43."

"...Yeah..." An absent reply. _What if I mess up and, well, Fate-chan fires me. What if Yuuno-kun gets bored in the middle, or we don't know what to do halfway through?_ I can't will my body out of the car even if I want to. _Well, I don't..., but I have to._

She sighs, again, turning off the engine and pulling her keys out. The engine gives a guttural growl. And then. Silence.

_Clack._

As she steps out of her door, she takes a deep breath. The wind seems to pick up, playing with her hair. Then,

_Slam._

The muffled sounds of shoe against pavement circles around the car, stopping right next to me. A couple knocks on the glass; I just look up at her. Her eyes flutter close, and her shoulders rise up a little then fall back down. The telltale signs of another sigh.

Clack.

A gust of cool morning air rushes at me. The blond pulls the door wide open and leans against it.

"Come on. Out." Her voice stern, tired. She reaches a hand towards me. As I place my hand in hers, she grips and pulls me out, roughly. And I sort of, well, crash into her, lightly. Her arms snake around my waist, and I can feel her breath tickling my ear. My body instinctively leans in, basking in the warmth and comfort.

"Fate-chan..." My voice uncertain. _Can't we just, go. Leave, forget this date._

"Relax." That soft, soothing voice again.

"Inhale."

"Exhale."

Slowly, I copy her and sync my breathing exercise with her own. After a few times, my breathing isn't as erratic and my mind has cleared a bit.

I end up staying like that for quite a while, just enjoying her presence with my arms wrapped loosely around her. The smell of flowers. Lavender, I think. And then,

"Just go and have fun." That gentle voice again. She pulls apart. "Call whenever. Now, go." The blond gives me a light push towards the park as she turns to circle around her car. With her back to me, "Your prince awaits." Blatant sarcasm, but somehow, the words sting a little. Her hand raises up in a casual goodbye. I smile, feeling better, and walk off in the opposite direction, towards my own destination.

As it turns out, Yuuno-kun had been waiting for quite a while; almost an entire hour, since he came early. But he doesn't seem all that angry...

"Yuuno-kun."

"Yeah?" _He definitely doesn't sound angry. Quite the opposite, actually._

"Sorry about being late."

"It's no problem, really." He flashes a smile. "Anyway," He grabs my hand and gives a slight pull. "The weather's nice today so let's go for a walk."

_-Just go and have fun-_

A smile. _Well, why not?_

"Hey, let's go by the lake too. I want to see the birds."

"I hear people feed the birds here a lot, so they're really people friendly."

"Yeah, they're very cute. I feed them every time I come here." Emerald orbs shine brightly.

"Really? I bought a bag of bread crusts! Want to go feed them?" His excitement is-

"Ahahaha."

I can't stop. I keep laughing, hands clutching my sides.

"Aha. Ha." The remnants of laughter as I calm myself. "H-How old are you?" I stutter out playfully, while trying not to laugh again.

"Hey. That's kind of mean." Mock dejection.

"S-Sorry." Still trying not to laugh.

"I thought it would be fun." His questioning gaze is too much. A light pat to his shoulder.

"Well, alright." A bright smile. "Come on. I know a great spot."

_o o o o o o_

**Fate**

After shifting the gear in my car to park, another sigh escapes my lips. "But you have a car, she said." My eyes scan the interior, a soft smile.

_-After I finish this, we'll get a su~per expensive sports car with bi-colored interior leather and all~ the extra packages. Then we'll take it out for a spin and celebrate at a fancy restaurant.-_

That horrible feeling: the tightening of my chest, as if my insides are lurching. I slowly pull my keys from the ignition. _Nostalgia._

_-How does that sound?-_

I quickly exit the car, giving it a quick glance again before heading up into the living room. As usual hanging my jacket up in my closet. My red-furred friend gives a couple barks and whines, tail wagging happily.

"Hey Arf." A light pat on her head. "Sorry about this morning; you must be starving. I'll make you something right now." I say as my hands grab a hair band and quickly tie my hair into a low ponytail. My feet take me into the kitchen as my hands reach out to grab my apron. As I'm finishing tying the strings behind my back, "Rice and chicken sound okay?"

Arf gives a happy little bark and proceeds to sit down.

"I'll take that as a yes." A soft smile.

There's nothing but the slight hum of the gas stove and the sound of my spatula against the pan. After a while, I click the stove off, and pull the now cooked chicken breast out of the boiling pot of water and onto the cutting board.

"Arf, would you mind getting your bowl for me? I'm almost done." I voice while cutting up the chicken into smaller pieces and throwing it into the pan.

She gives a quick bark and wanders off, reappearing a couple moments later with her empty bowl in her mouth and tail wagging. After a quick mix, I grab her bowl and fill it up with the contents of my labor.

"It's a bit hot, okay? So eat slowly." I say while walking around the counter and placing her bowl down.

The puppy looks up at me and wags her tail before heading towards her bowl, enjoying her overdue meal.

"Aren't you cute." My hands stroke her fur. After watching her for a couple minutes, I stand up slowly. "Well, I have to clean up, so enjoy." I quickly hand wash my pan and pot, hanging them up to dry while I give a quick rinse to the spatula before placing it in the dishwasher. As I'm taking off the hair band and apron, my phone rings.

_Ring. Ring._

Well, cell phone.

"Now where did I put it?" I slowly follow the noise, as I hang the apron up. "Oh, right." I open the closet, and dig through one of my jacket pockets, unearthing said cell phone. For a second, I contemplate whether or not I want to chance answering the call.

"Testarossa speaking."

"Fate!" The familiar voice is sort of frantic. _I knew I shouldn't have answered._

"…Yes, we've established that-"

"Thank god you picked up!" Had the volume been any louder, my ears would've been dying.

"Huh."

"She was feeding the birds! And then there were flowers. And wind. Everywhere!" My fingers pinch the bridge of my nose as I feel the oncoming headache. _I don't even understand what you just said..._

"She."

"Yes! She. Shiroi!"

"Shiroi."

"The girl that works at your place. Gorgeous girl, bright lavender eye-"

"Right." _Nanoha. _"_Why _are you calling me, Yuuno?"

"Oh! Right! I need your help! Do-"

"I know this might be hard for you, but would you mind not acting like you just hit puberty and discovered girls?"

"W-What?" My ear rings slightly; my head throbs painfully.

"Let's try again. Now. Talk like you're 19." There is a huge intake of air on the other side of the line.

"Alright. Shiroi just went to the bathroom. I wanted to get her something, and there's this stuffed animal stand here. So I called you."_So he's high on excitement._

"Right. That wasn't so hard, was it?" I deadpan.

"Don't patronize me." He bites back. A sigh.

"Okay, so you called me." Sensing my lack of resistance, he continues his story.

"Yeah, I wanted to ask what her favorite color was."

_What._

Silence.

"Fate? Hello, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear."

"So her-"

"Favorite color. Right." A sigh. "I don't know. Try blue."

"_Try?_" The blond haired boy sounds as if I had said his dog had been beaten and then eaten. If I wasn't so pissed off, it would be quite funny. "I'm trying to impress her and you're telling me to _try _blue?" He questions with a surprisingly sarcastic tone. _Did he pick that up from me? That's no good; his father's going to have a field day with me if he hears that. _A smirk.

"_Try blue._"

_Click. _I snap my phone shut. _Enough of that. Now, the 'off' button..._

_Ring. Ring._

Again, for a split second, I contemplate whether this is actually worth my time.

"Yuuno." _I'm too nice sometimes..._

"Hey, Fate. Sorry about earlier. I just-"

"I don't care. Look, it's your date. You figure it out."

"W-What?" He sounds genuinely confused. A sigh. _Without your father, you're just a kid._

"You like her, right?" He stutters somewhat, I suppose out of embarrassment. "It's a yes or no question." The throbbing hasn't stopped. _Maybe I'll take some Advil._

There's a bit of shuffling on the other side of the line. Another throb.

"Don't nod. _Say _it. Nothing happens if you don't _talk._" _Maybe I'll take a walk. I think that'll be relaxing._

"Y-Yes. I. I like her." His face is red, probably.

"Then why don't you try _asking _about her favorite color?"

"W-Well..." The emerald eyed boy sounds unsure.

"Relationships are built up through dialogue. So start talking. Ask her questions, and you might end up finding out more about her."

"I guess that sounds reasonable..."

"Right. Well then. Have fun."

"Wa-"

_Click._

"Not only do I have to drive Person A to the date." _Well, I didn't actually mind that... I suppose. _"But I have to guide Person B along with the dating? What am I? A fucking counselor?" A sigh. _Whatever. Advil and a walk. Advil and a walk._

_o o o o o o_

**Nanoha**

This whole date was turning out to be a lot more fun than I thought it'd be. Yuuno-kun's been great. I brought him to a spot I frequent, and we fed the birds his bag of bread crusts. It didn't take long to finish the bag, but as a result a flock of birds followed us for a while. It was funny yet kinda of alarming. Especially when they thought we had food. After that, it was just walking and talking. At least, until I needed a quick, well, break. I walk out of the bathroom, drying my hands on my denim shorts. _I hate it when they run out of paper towels. _As I look at the bench which Yuuno-kun is sitting, he seems to be staring intently at his phone.

"What's up? Someone call you?" I sort of hop in front of him.

"Eh? Ah, it's nothing." The blond pockets his phone and stands up. "I was going to get you something." He points behind him with his thumb. "But I wasn't sure what you liked." My eyes widen slightly.

"Woah, they sell stuffed animals out here?" My feet instantly take me over to inspect the fluffy creatures. My date follows slightly behind.

"Apparently they have some sort of rotational thing going on."

"Hmm. Now that I think about it... I guess the couple that gives out balloons isn't here today."

"So, do you have a favorite animal or anything like that?" B_lunt isn't he._

"Well, when it comes to stuffed animals, no. It just has to catch my attention."

"Catch your attention?" He scans the selection. I place my hand under my chin, in a thinking pose.

"For example..." I pick up a plain brown teddy bear. "This little guy here, looks exactly like the one my, ah, friend bought for me recently. But he stood out more because all the other animals had fancy designs and clothes. So I liked that one more and not so much this one." _Though, mine is actually cuter than this one, but that's a small detail..._

"Right, so this one strike your fancy?" He pulls out what is by far the creepiest stuffed animal I have ever seen. It's like some sort of chimera that is part lobster and part bat. Or something. I can't really tell, but it's really creepy. I look up at Yuuno, and he's about ready to burst out laughing. _Maybe from my expression?_

"Mou!" I grab the creature from him and place it back in the cart. "That's not what I meant by 'catch my attention'!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He apologizes; his laughter is pretty contagious, so I end up smiling back. "Are you sure you don't want anything?" the blond asks pleasantly. _Well, there are a couple that seem pretty cute..._

"Yeah, I'm fine." He sports a somewhat dejected look. _I'd be happier if, well, no use thinking about that. _"And anyway, lets check out the food stands." I walk ahead a bit. "How about we split up and meet back at one of the benches?" His emerald orbs look at me questioningly. "Food or drink?"

"Ah. Food, then. Do you want anything specific?"

"Anything's fine. How about you? Drink?"

"Apple cider, then. I'll see you in a bit over there, okay?" His figure dashes off as my hand is barely raised. _Well, whatever._

"Right, drinks." I walk over toward the vending machines. _Apple cider? _"Where am I going to find that?"

"Find what?" A familiar voice behind me-

"Hayate-chan!" My brown haired friend and I give each other a quick hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm out enjoying myself with my relatives." She flashes a happy smile. "And I volunteered to get the drinks."

"What a coincidence." But as soon as the words come out of my mouth-

"Yep, a total coincidence." Another smile. I pull her closer to me.

"You're not following me, are you?" _If it's Hayate-chan..._

"Not at all, not at all. So who's your date? I think I saw a nice handsome young blond around here." _...it's definitely not a coincidence._

"So you _are _following me!" A playful glare. Her hands raise up in an 'I-surrender' type of motion.

"Well, I only came here because Fate-chan seemed so adamant about staying far away from this place."A sly smile.

"Fate-chan is here?"

"Yep. She's right over there with Si-Oh? That's strange. She was there a second ago." My short haired friend points at the bartender, Signum, sitting quite a ways from us quietly by herself on a grassy hill. "Care to join us?" She says invitingly.

"Sorry. I'm on a paid date." A slight smile.

"Is that so?" Well, give us a call when you're gonna leave; I'm sure we can fit one more person in the car." Another hug and she walks back towards Signum and, a flash of blond. _Fate-chan? _A sigh.

"Seems like fun." _And hey... Hayate-chan didn't buy any drinks. _Refacing the machine, I drop in a couple coins and press two buttons. Holding both beverages in my hand, I head back towards the meeting spot.

"Ah, Shiroi!" A different blond waves at me from the bench. My free hand waves back. I park myself next to him.

"Sorry, Yuuno-kun, they didn't have apple cider, so I got you apple juice instead. Is that okay?"

"Eh? Well, thanks anyway."He takes the juice box that I offer and stares at it for a minute before proceeding to drink from it.

_o o o o o o_

It was late afternoon by the time we both finished up our lunch. _If it could be called that anyway, considering that we started eating around 3. _The food was great, and the company's been pretty fun too. It seemed as if time just flew by, and I thought the rest of the date would go the same way. But well...

_This is pretty boring. Maybe I'm just tired or something._

We're both walking around the park. According to Yuuno-kun, the park is home to a rose garden. I've never seen one, so I was up for the idea, but.

_Maybe I'm just tired of walking? Or my sense of direction has died. Along with Yuuno-kun's. Because, well, I think we're lost._

"I think we're lost." His brows furrow up in annoyance. _That was established when we circled around the fountain, twice._

"If we ask around we should get there eventually." I suggest. The blond pulls out a piece of paper.

"But that map said that if we went straight we would've made it already." _He has a map?_

"We could look for landmarks?" His emerald eyes shine brightly at me.

"That's a good idea. You think we'd be able to see a... 'Turtle's Rock'?" He states while fumbling with the map. _A what?_

"It should look like a giant turtle, I think." His eyes scan around.

"Uhh. I don't see a giant turtle."

This back and forth of him choosing a 'landmark' and both of us being unable to find it went for quite a while. In the end, we just called it quits since it was getting late. The sun was almost setting, the temperature was dropping, and the wind was picking up. And I think we were both tired. Or at least I was extremely tired.

"It's a shame we couldn't find the rose garden." His voice still dejected. A smile.

"It's alright; I had fun today." A hug. His arms circle around my waist and pull me in tightly. _Ehh._..

"Yeah." His breath tickles against my neck. I give a small laugh.

"Alright, I should probably get going. My friends are waiting for me." He releases, slowly. Eyes looking at me expectantly. _Eh? I know this happens in those dramas on TV and such, but... _Their gaze lowers, to my lips, and then his face inches closer. Somehow everything is a couple degrees warmer than a second ago. _W-Wait! _My hands dig into my pocket, searching frantically. Closer. _This is too fast! _Almost touch-

_Ring. Ring._

I stiffen; he pauses. _Chance!_

"S-Sorry about that." _Thank. God. That worked. _A nervous chuckle as I back away and turn around. "H-Hello? A-Ah! Hayate-chan?" A pause. "Am I ready to go? Yeah, I'll be right there." I turn quickly back to my date. "Sorry about this. I have to go. Thanks for today." A hand wave as I run off, and well, leave him standing. _Sorry. Really. _"Hayate-chan? Yeah, I was just wonder..." My legs carry me to a small trail behind a couple trees. Still lightly jogging, my phone snaps shut and my hand drops down. "...How long it'll take until he can't see me running." _I purposefully chose a pretty obscure path, so I think I'm fine now, but just in case. _I jog for a couple more minutes. _Now the problem is. _I flip open my phone and punch in a number I'm familiar with.

"Nanoha-chan?" My friend's voice.

"Hayate-chan. Are you still at the park?"

"Yeah, we were just packing up. Are you just about ready to leave as well?"

"Yes, well. I was going to take you up on the offer for a ride, but..." A pause.

"But?"

"Well. I'm lost. I think." _This is embarassing._

"_Ehhhh? _Lost?"

"Yeah, well-"

"All by yourself?" _...why is her voice so dramatic? _"In the middle of the woods?" _No, wait._

"Not the woods."

"Whatever happened to your date?" _Is it just me..._

"Eh? Well, we separated."

"He _left _you? It's getting dark too." _Or does it sound like she's not really talking to me._

"Hayate-chan." My voice firm.

"Yep?" I can feel her smiling on the other end of the line. Eyes sparkling, too.

"I'm lost. Help?"

"Oh, I suggest you keep walking straight to the end of the path you're on." _Wait._

"You can _see _me?"

"Ah, well, look at the time! I'll see you at the car, okay?"

"Hayate-"

Click. Silence. _She hung up on me. _I stare at the phone.

_Well, fine. Might as well listen to her advice, I guess. _I walk silently on the trail. If it was a little brighter, I'm sure this scenic route would look breathtakingly beautiful. But now that it's getting darker, it's a bit, creepy.

Crunch. The sound of a tree branch snapping. _Okay. I didn't need to hear that._

As I quicken my pace, I can't but help notice that horrible things tend to happen to people that are alone. _Like kidnappings and killings. Dammit. I should have asked Yuuno-kun to walk me to a parking lot or something. Oh, I think that's a clearing up ahead; that's the end of the trail, I'm guessing. _As my feet painstakingly hike up the rest of the way, I'm blasted by the fragrant odor of...

"Roses."

Before me, against the setting sun, is a sea of roses.

Suddenly, my legs feel like jelly and I sink down into the grass. A bright smile. "Nyahaha. I guess I get to see them after all."

Inhale.

Exhale.

I will myself up on my feet. _They're all in bloom! _I walk up to a grouping of white roses, and bend down to smell them. A chuckle. "It smells so nice."

"Aren't you a bit too happy to be lost?" A venomous voice next to my ear. I jump and turn around, only to be greeted by a head full of soft silky blond and a pair of glaring blood red orbs.

"Fate-chan."

_o o o o o o_

Apparently the rose garden wasn't too far from the parking lot that Hayate-chan and her relatives were waiting at. Unfortunately, the trek to said parking lot was uphill, and I was tired. Extremely so. By the time we made it up and I saw the face of my brown haired friend, I was about ready to just fall to the ground. So I was quite relieved to hear that there was 'plenty' of space in the four-door sedan.

"Plenty of room." I repeat to myself.

Not only was the trunk full to the brim with all sorts of toys, foldable chairs, and an assortment of dishes and plates, but the entire car was well, packed. Signum-san was driving, and Zafira was riding shotgun. That left Shamal-san, Hayate-chan, Vita-chan, Fate-chan, and me to figure out how to sit in the back. Luckily, there wasn't much thought to put into the process since Shamal-san was already seated on one side of the vehicle, and well, Hayate-chan was already climbing in, with Vita-chan then proceeding to sitting on her lap. Obviously, we were going to squeeze four people into three seats. _Not too bad, right? Could be worse. _I went in afterwards, followed by Fate-chan. It wasn't too uncomfortable, just very, ah, cozy. I suppose.

There wasn't much talking going on in the car, since Vita-chan was asleep. She looked pretty exhausted and was asleep as soon as the engine started. It was cute, what with Vita-chan cuddling up to Hayate-chan, and my friend in turn dozing off with her head resting on Shamal-san's shoulder.

At some point, I'm not quite sure, my eyelids started to flutter close, and the fragrance of lavender enveloped me.

**Fate**

I sort of expected something like this to happen, so I didn't end up stiffening as much as usual. My head turns slightly, and my eyes watch the sleeping brunette next to me. _Should I wake her? This is sort of awkward...but, she does look pretty comfortable. And sort of... _There's an almost inaudible snicker; my eyes focus on the figure next to Nanoha.

"You said she was in trouble." A quiet voice, so as not to wake the two sleeping bodies, but still with an edge.

"Oh?" A glint in her eye. "Did you run all the way there?" A wide smile; my eyes narrow.

"I don't see why _I _had to go find her anyway." I ignore her previous question.

"Hmm. Well, think of it this way. As a reward, you get a hot body sleeping up against you." She raises her eyebrow suggestively.

"That's not funny."

"It wasn't a joke."

Silence.

Thud. Shamal lightly hit the short haired girl on the head.

"Oww." She frowns.

"Don't tease the poor girl." _She came to my aid. _"Look, she's all red now." _Or not._

"I am not red." Blunt.

"It's okay, Fate-san. She's a cute girl. I understand, I would too-" I cut her off.

"No. Wait. Don't make random assumptions." _They're tag-teaming me._

"Don't you think they look cute together?" Hayate asks Shamal.

"Yes, I was surprised. You said they met what, two days ago?"

"Wha-Don't ignore me." A glare. _And it wasn't two days._

"I wonder how far they've gone." That mischievous smile again.

"I'm sure they've already..." She whispers the rest in Hayate's ear.

"Oho, now that you mention it, I did see them..." A quiet sigh. _I want to go home._

"There seems to be a traffic jam up ahead." Signum states absently.

"Hmm, it looks like they closed off a couple of roads." Zafira adds as well.

From the corner of my eye, two figures with glinting orbs snicker.

_You've got to be kidding me._

_o o o o o o_

Thankfully, the ride didn't take that much longer. An added twenty minutes or so, but any longer, and I probably would have died from embarrassment from being in the vehicle listening to those two talk. After shaking Nanoha awake, we headed into my house, each to our own respective showers.

Being under the warm water slowly but surely relieved the stresses of today. Walking out of my room in a white tank top and black shorts while drying my hair with my towel, I park myself comfortably on my couch.

As I am flipping through a couple channels, my roommate appears in a set of pink and white plaid pajamas, also drying off her hair. When she sits next to me, I notice the lump of brown in her hands as that teddy bear from a couple days ago. Finally picking a channel worth watching, it's a rerun of an old classic movie, I get up and fetch a blanket and resettle down on the couch. The lavender eyed girl is still playing with the bear. She's wiggling it's arms or something.

"What are you doing?"

"Eh? Oh, I saw a similar one today, but this one is definitely cuter." She rubs her nose against it. _Right. _I turn my attention back to the movie, since it's starting. Her eyes sparkle as she looks up at the screen.

"I love this movie! Can I watch?" She turns to me with pleading eyes.

"Go ahead." She stares at my blanket for quite a while. Then,

"Share?" Her voice meek, head lowered, ears red. Telltale signs of embarrassment. I study her for a while. Usually I don't have to debate, but well, I blame Shamal and Hayate. A sigh. I definitely blame them.

"Go ahead." My voice softer, gentler. I lift the cover up and shift slightly to make room for the other body.

About halfway through the movie, I'm regretting my decision. Immensely. _Crap, she's crying, isn't she. _I can't really focus on watching the movie if the person next to me is sniffling.

_I should ignore it. Right, ignoring. _And then, I feel a soft pressure against my side. _She's leaning against me, isn't she? Was a simple movie before bed such a hard thing to ask for?_

At some point, the faint quivering of her body due to her crying had stopped, and I had stopped being self-conscious about the extra weight against me, enjoying the rest of the movie. I switched off the television after the end credits rolled for a couple minutes. As I turned to move, her head sort of slid forward and well, fell in my lap. No other movement occurs. _She's asleep. Great._

"Nanoha." A slight shake of her shoulders.

Nothing.

"Nanoha, wake up." I try again.

In vain.

A sigh.

"I guess today wiped her out." A small smile as I stroke her hair. "You tried really hard, huh." I bend my head down, my mouth next to her ear. "Thanks for your hard work today."

No response.

A slight chuckle.

"Well, I hope you don't scream when you wake up tomorrow morning."

* * *

**a/n: **err, I have a flight to catch in a couple hours. so i'll leave this section pretty blank for now.

in other news, another approximately 6 months of inactivity. my apologies. this is sort of a bit past first draft? so I'll definitely fix it up and whatnot. i don't think they seem that OOC from their already OOCness. umm, just a softer side to all of them? right, well, i will try to fix this up before AX, because i probably wont touch this when that time comes.

**edit: **added a bit of stuff here and there, hopefully making this chapter a bit easier on the eyes. I'll hold off on review responses at the moment. So they'll be edited in eventually, along with more changes to the chapter as I see fit.


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